Quote:
Originally Posted by Favorite Jeans
The missed appointment fee is meant to cover the cost to the therapist when someone no-shows or cancels so late that the therapist can’t fill their spot. To me it makes sense to charge a client who misses appointments somewhat often with no notice. Some clients are habitually disrespectful of the therapist’s time. Without billing them for it the only options would be to tolerate the income loss (and loss of availability to would-be clients) or to terminate the client. So I think in principle the fee is okay.
It is completely unfair when a generally conscientious client is ill or has a similar emergency, or you know, your area is in the throes of a natural disaster. Every therapist I’ve ever been to has a no-show fee policy but none has charged it when I’ve had to cancel for illness, major family issue or even for the occasional (frontline HCW) work emergency.
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I agree with all of this. I feel like the fee can be meant as a deterrent for frequent no-shows or last-minute cancellations. Like, "Eh, I don't feel like going to therapy in an hour," as opposed to a health/family/weather/transportation/work issue.
I also think there's a difference between letting the therapist know as soon as you're able, as opposed to waiting until the last minute. Basically if you show that you respect their time. (Of course, if you got a flat tire or starting feeling really ill on the way there, then it would have to be last minute, but still letting them know when you can.)
I really think that the best policy might be that clients get a certain number of cancellations in a certain amount of time. Just throwing out an arbitrary number here, but a client gets two free last-minute cancellations in a year, then if there's a third one, they have to pay (and then it would reset the next year).