Client Agreement: One-on-One Coaching with Michael Norman

This Agreement sets clear expectations so we can work together smoothly. It protects both your experience and my ability to serve you at the highest level.

Binding Agreement; Parties

This Client Agreement applies to coaching services booked via MichaelNorman.com, PanicFree.TV, or any affiliated website operated by Michael Norman.

By booking a session, checking any required agreement box, or proceeding with payment, you (the “Client”) enter a binding contract governed by Japanese law with Michael Norman, a Japan-based sole proprietor (the “Coach”), who operates under multiple brands and websites. All coaching services are provided by Michael Norman regardless of the brand, website, or domain through which the services are accessed.

1. Nature of Services (Not Medical/Psychological Treatment)

You understand that this is a coaching service designed to support emotional and mindset shifts. Techniques may include conversational tools and change methods (e.g., NLP, conversational hypnosis).

These services are not medical, psychological, or psychiatric treatment, and are not a substitute for licensed professional care. Michael Norman does not diagnose or treat mental health disorders, and coaching is not therapy, counselling, medical, or legal advice. This service is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any illness or psychological disorder. You are encouraged to seek licensed care as needed.

If you are under the care of a psychiatrist, psychologist, or other licensed healthcare professional, or taking prescribed psychiatric medication, your treating provider remains responsible for your clinical care and medical decisions. Coaching here is a complementary, non-clinical process focused on mindset, learning, and behavioural flexibility. You agree to keep your treating provider informed of any significant emotional changes arising from coaching when relevant to your ongoing care. Michael will not advise on medication, medical treatment, or medical decisions, though coordination with your provider may be encouraged for your safety.

Disclaimer Regarding Memories. The Coach does not provide “memory recovery” services and does not claim to recover, uncover, or verify repressed, forgotten, or supposedly hidden memories. Some processes may involve exploring present emotions, bodily responses, images, thoughts, or associations, including links to earlier experiences. Any material that arises in this context is treated as part of the Client’s subjective experience and is not asserted to be historically accurate, factually established, or suitable for legal, investigative, or evidentiary purposes unless independently corroborated.

Who This Work Is For. This coaching is for adults who want to change automatic patterns in one or more specific situations, and who are well enough to take part in a conversation by Zoom and to carry out what we agree between sessions.

Who This Work Is Not For. This coaching is not suitable if you are currently in crisis, if you are at risk of harming yourself or others, if you are receiving acute or intensive psychiatric care (for example inpatient, day-patient, or crisis-team care), or if you have been discharged from a psychiatric hospital admission within the last three months. It is also not suitable as a replacement for care your treating provider has recommended. If any of these apply, please arrange or continue licensed local care. You are welcome to contact the Coach again once your situation has settled.

Being under the ongoing care of a doctor, psychiatrist or psychologist, or taking prescribed medication, does not by itself make this work unsuitable, as set out in the paragraphs above.

Your Confirmation. By booking, you confirm that none of the circumstances above apply to you, and that the information you give in the intake form is accurate and complete as far as you are aware. You agree to tell the Coach if your circumstances change before or during the engagement.

Declining or Ending an Engagement. The Coach may decline a booking, or pause or end an engagement, where the Coach considers this work unsuitable, that licensed care is indicated, or that continuing would not be in your interests. Where the Coach does so for any of these reasons, sessions not yet delivered will be refunded.

Where the Coach ends an engagement because of your conduct, including abusive or threatening behaviour, repeated failure to follow safety instructions given in sessions, or a material failure to disclose something relevant under this Agreement, sessions not yet delivered are not refunded and the Section 4 guarantee does not apply.

2. Responsibility for Your Well-being; Remote Safety

You agree that you are fully responsible for your emotional and physical well-being before, during, and after sessions. You participate voluntarily and accept full responsibility for any decisions or actions you take as a result of coaching.

Remote Services & Safety. Coaching is delivered exclusively online. The Coach does not provide medical, psychological, fitness, or safety instructions. You agree not to participate while driving, operating machinery, or in any environment where loss of attention could cause harm, and to create a safe, private setting for sessions.

Client Compliance. You agree to follow reasonable safety instructions given during sessions, to use a quiet/private setting, and not to apply any techniques in contexts that could foreseeably create risk to yourself or others.

Possible Effects of Coaching. Research into psychological help of all kinds indicates that most people improve, some notice no change, and a small number feel worse for a period. It is also common to feel temporarily unsettled while a long-standing pattern is changing, which is distinct from a worsening of your situation. You agree to tell the Coach promptly if you feel worse at any point during the engagement, whether or not you believe it relates to the coaching. Where you do, the Coach may discuss it with you, may adjust or pause the work, and may recommend that you arrange or resume licensed local care alongside or instead of coaching. Nothing in this paragraph creates any duty to monitor, assess, or protect, and this paragraph is subject to Section 3.

3. Crisis, Self-Harm & Safety (No Clinical Duty; No Monitoring)

Coaching is not an emergency or crisis service and does not include monitoring for suicide or self-harm. If you experience suicidal thoughts, intentions, or urges to harm yourself or others, you must immediately contact local emergency services or a licensed mental-health professional. Do not rely on coaching sessions, emails, messages, or platform communications for urgent help.

No Duty to Monitor or Protect. The Coach provides non-clinical coaching only and assumes no duty of care to prevent self-harm or suicide. The Coach does not monitor your well-being between sessions, review messages in real time, initiate welfare checks, or undertake protective actions.

Client Responsibility. You remain solely responsible for your safety and for seeking timely professional and emergency assistance. If acute risk arises, you agree to stop using coaching and obtain local professional help.

Right to Pause/Terminate. Nothing in this Agreement requires the Coach to take protective actions or to continue services when the Coach believes clinical care is indicated; the Coach may pause or terminate coaching and recommend referral to licensed services. Where the Coach does so, the refund position is set out in Section 1.

Remote Safety. You agree not to attend sessions while driving or in hazardous environments, and not to implement techniques discussed in coaching in contexts that could foreseeably create risk to yourself or others.

Self-Inflicted Harm. Except to the extent prohibited by Japanese law, the Coach has no liability for self-inflicted harm, including suicide or attempted suicide, and assumes no duty to monitor, prevent, or protect against such harm. Nothing in this Agreement creates any duty to do so.

Legal Note. Nothing in this Section excludes liability that cannot legally be excluded under Japanese law, including liability for intentional or gross negligence and, for consumers, certain claims relating to death or bodily injury.

4. Results & Refund Policy

Results vary and cannot be guaranteed. However, if you are a new client and you’ve purchased the three-session package:

If, within seven (7) days after your third session, you honestly feel you haven’t experienced any positive automatic changes in any of the situations we agreed to work on, email support@panicfree.tv or support@michaelnorman.com to ask for a full refund, and you’ll receive a full refund.

Please note:

Applies to new clients only (one guarantee per person), and to the three-session package only. It does not apply to monthly coaching or single sessions.
No partial refunds for unused package sessions, except where the Coach declines a booking or ends an engagement under the first paragraph of ‘Declining or Ending an Engagement’ in Section 1, in which case sessions not yet delivered are refunded.
Refunds are processed under Japanese law and represent the full extent of what is offered.

Time limit. The new-client guarantee lapses three (3) months after your first session, whether or not you have taken all three sessions by then. Your package sessions remain available for six (6) months under Section 6, but any session taken after the three-month point is not covered by the guarantee, and no refund request will be accepted after that date. Scheduling your sessions within three months is your responsibility. Where a delay is caused by the Coach’s unavailability, the three-month period is extended by the length of that delay.

Eligibility conditions (new-client guarantee). To qualify for the refund described above, you agree that:

You completed all sessions included in the package on their scheduled dates/times, or properly rescheduled them with at least 48 hours’ notice.
You attended each session in full (no late-cancel counted as used and no no-show).
You participated in a safe, distraction-free setting, co-operated reasonably with in-session instructions, and completed any Precision Experiences designed for you between sessions.
If any session in the package is treated as used due to less than 48 hours’ cancellation or a no-show, the new-client guarantee does not apply.
You did not attend any session while driving, operating machinery, or in non-private/unsafe settings.
You disclosed anything materially relevant to the work you asked for help with, both before the package began and as it progressed.

Medical & Medication Exclusions

The Results & Refund Policy does not apply where the client’s difficulties are wholly or partially driven by, or materially affected by, medical, physiological, or pharmacological factors outside the scope of coaching, where those factors materially interfere with the coaching process or outcomes, including but not limited to:

Side-effects of prescription or non-prescription medication, including recent changes in medication type or dosage
Hormonal, neurological, metabolic, gastrointestinal, or other medical conditions
Acute medical issues, untreated medical conditions, or conditions requiring medical diagnosis or treatment
Substance use that materially affects mood, cognition, or nervous-system regulation

Coaching services do not replace medical care. Coaching is non-medical and does not diagnose, treat, or attempt to remediate medical or physiological conditions. Where medical, medication-related, or physiological factors materially limit, distort, or override the effects of coaching, the guarantee does not apply, even where anxiety or psychological distress is also present.

You are responsible for disclosing any relevant medical conditions, diagnoses, or medication changes prior to, or during, the coaching process.

Whether such factors materially interfere with coaching outcomes is assessed in good faith by the Coach, acting reasonably.

5. Legal Jurisdiction; Governing Law; Venue; Language

You acknowledge that Michael Norman operates solely from Japan and provides coaching as a Japan-based sole proprietor. This Agreement is governed exclusively by the laws of Japan.

Exclusive Forum. Any dispute or claim shall be brought only in the Kobe District Court, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. You waive any objection based on inconvenient forum.

Covenant Not to Sue Elsewhere. You agree not to commence or participate in any action relating to this Agreement outside Japan. Enforcement of any judgment is limited to Japan unless recognised by a Japanese court under Japanese law.

Language. Proceedings may be conducted in Japanese or English. English controls in the event of any inconsistency with translations.

6. Fees, Payment, Programmes & Chargebacks

Currency & Taxes. Fees are quoted and payable in USD unless stated otherwise. Any bank/FX/platform fees and applicable taxes are your responsibility.

Due Date. Payment is due upon booking unless otherwise agreed in writing. Sessions may be declined or paused for unpaid amounts.

Chargebacks. You agree not to initiate a chargeback without first contacting support@panicfree.tv or support@michaelnorman.com and allowing reasonable time to resolve. If a chargeback is initiated and reversed, you are responsible for any third-party fees reasonably incurred.

Packages & Expiry. Package sessions must be used within six (6) months of the first session unless we agree otherwise in writing. Packages are non-transferable.

Monthly Coaching. The monthly programme is billed in advance each month until you cancel. It includes one session per month by audio Zoom, which may be scheduled flexibly by agreement, and a short call between scheduled sessions where genuinely needed and where the Coach is available. Unused months do not accumulate and cannot be redeemed later. You may cancel at any time by emailing support@panicfree.tv or support@michaelnorman.com, and notice is treated as given in accordance with Section 19. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the month already paid for, and part-months are not refunded. The programme may be paused by prior written arrangement.

Between-Session Calls. Any short call between scheduled sessions is offered at the Coach’s discretion and subject to availability. It is not an emergency, crisis or on-call service, and Section 3 applies in full.

Single Sessions. Single sessions are available only to clients who have completed a three-session package, are booked and paid for individually, and are subject to Section 12.

Application of the Guarantee. The Results and Refund Policy in Section 4 applies only to a new client’s first three-session package, and does not apply to monthly coaching or single sessions.

7. No Guarantees of Specific Outcomes

Except for the specific refund policy in Section 4, no guarantees, representations, or warranties, whether express or implied, are made about specific results, outcomes, or changes that may occur.

8. Confidentiality & Recordings

Confidentiality. Sessions are treated as confidential and not disclosed without your consent, except where disclosure is required by law (e.g., suspected abuse, criminal activity, or lawful orders) or where, during a session, a serious and imminent risk of harm appears. Use of third-party platforms (e.g., Zoom, email) has inherent security limits.

Session Recordings. Sessions may be recorded only with your explicit consent, for your personal review or quality assurance. Recordings are stored securely, never shared publicly, and can be deleted at your request (unless retention is required by law).

Educational Excerpts & Case Studies (Always Anonymous). Brief anonymised transcribed excerpts or generalised case studies may be shared for educational purposes. Your name or reasonably identifying details will never be included without your prior written consent. You may opt out at any time.

9. Data Protection (APPI – Japan)

You consent to the collection and use of your personal information for scheduling, service delivery, billing, client support, and legal compliance.

Third Parties / Cross-Border. Personal data may be shared with service providers (e.g., scheduling, video, billing) under confidentiality; otherwise only with your consent or where required by law. If cross-border transfer is needed (e.g., cloud/email), it is limited to what is necessary and handled consistently with the Act on the Protection of Personal Information (APPI).

Retention. Records are retained only as long as reasonably necessary for these purposes or legal requirements, then securely deleted.

Your Rights & Contact. To access, correct, or delete your data, contact support@panicfree.tv or support@michaelnorman.com.

10. Intellectual Property

All tools, techniques, frameworks, and content provided are the intellectual property of Michael Norman. You receive a personal, non-transferable licence for your own development. No copying, recording, distribution, public sharing, or commercial use without prior written permission.

11. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by Japanese law, the total aggregate liability of Michael Norman arising out of or in connection with the services under this Agreement, whether in contract, tort (including negligence), or otherwise, shall not exceed the fees you actually paid for the services giving rise to the claim (or, if the claim spans multiple sessions, the fees paid in the three (3) months preceding your first written notice of the claim).

Exclusions of Certain Damages. To the maximum extent permitted by law, no liability shall arise for indirect, consequential, special, exemplary, punitive, or lost-profits damages.

Mandatory Carve-Outs. This limitation does not apply where exclusion/limitation is prohibited by law, including liability for intentional misconduct or gross negligence and, for consumers, certain claims relating to death or bodily injury.

No Duty Created. Nothing in this Section creates any duty to monitor or protect; see Section 3.

Clarification. References to “death or bodily injury” do not create or expand any duty to monitor or prevent self-inflicted harm (including suicide or attempted suicide); see Section 3.

12. Scheduling, Cancellations, and No-Shows

Provide at least 48 hours’ notice to cancel or reschedule. Sessions cancelled with less than 48 hours’ notice may be treated as used (and the Section 4 new-client guarantee will not apply). No-shows are not refunded or rescheduled (and the Section 4 new-client guarantee will not apply). Late arrival does not extend the scheduled end time. If widespread outages prevent the session, we’ll reschedule without penalty.

13. Force Majeure

The Coach is not liable for delay or failure to perform due to causes beyond reasonable control (e.g., natural disasters, illness, government actions, pandemics, utility/Internet outages). We will reschedule as feasible.

14. Severability

If any provision is held invalid, illegal, or unenforceable, the remaining provisions continue in full force and effect.

15. Dispute Resolution & Optional Arbitration

First, try to resolve any issue informally by emailing support@panicfree.tv or support@michaelnorman.com. If unresolved within approximately 30 days, disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Kobe District Court, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan (see Section 5). Proceedings may be conducted in Japanese or English.

Optional Arbitration. By mutual written agreement, disputes may be finally resolved by binding arbitration under the Japan Commercial Arbitration Association (JCAA) rules, seat Kobe, Japan, in Japanese or English. Each party bears its own costs unless the arbitrator decides otherwise.

No Class/Collective Actions. To the extent permitted by law, disputes must be brought only in your individual capacity and not as a plaintiff or class member in any purported class, collective, or representative action.

16. Informed Consent & Entire Agreement

You confirm that you understand the nature, scope, and limitations of coaching, including the limitations of any memories, images, impressions, or associations that may arise during a session; you have had the opportunity to ask questions; and this Agreement constitutes the entire understanding, superseding prior communications or representations.

17. Non-Reliance; Written Changes Only

You acknowledge you are not relying on any statements or representations about results or outcomes outside this written Agreement. Any changes or waivers must be in writing and expressly refer to this Agreement.

18. Consent to Proceed

By continuing to book your session, you confirm that you:

have read and understood this Agreement;
accept all terms and disclaimers above;
are 18 years or older and participating of your own free will; and
understand this is a coaching service, not therapy or medical treatment.

19. Notices; Assignment; Survival; No Waiver; Electronic Acceptance; English Controls

Notices. Email to/from support@panicfree.tv or support@michaelnorman.com constitutes written notice and is deemed received upon sending (or within 24 hours if no bounce). You agree to keep your email address current and to notify us of any change.

Assignment. You may not assign this Agreement without the Coach’s written consent; the Coach may assign to a successor or affiliate or in connection with a reorganisation.

Survival. Sections concerning confidentiality, intellectual property, payments, limitation of liability, governing law/jurisdiction/venue (including the covenant not to sue elsewhere), dispute resolution/arbitration and the class/collective action waiver, data protection (APPI), notices/service of process, and non-reliance / written changes only survive termination.

No Waiver. Failure to enforce any term is not a waiver.

Electronic Acceptance. Click-wrap/checkbox acceptance and electronic communications form a valid, enforceable agreement.

Language. This Agreement may be translated; the English version controls.

Service of Process. You consent that formal legal notices and service of process related to this Agreement may be effected by email to support@panicfree.tv or support@michaelnorman.com and by courier to an address you provide, to the extent permitted by applicable law.