[Petra5ed]

I'm curious how common it is for your therapist to be late to your session. My therapist is frequently late, it hurt my feelings finally today. I feels like he has forgotten our last three sessions in a row. Wondering if he wants to work with me, or maybe unconsciously if he wants me to find another therapist.

I'm not interested in personal advice on this one, since I know many of you all will say fire him, how inconsiderate, and I don't want to hear it right now. But, I am curious has your T been late, if so how late, etc?

[RTerroni]

A few times my Therapist has been late to get me, including one time when I actually had to leave early so we ended up having a session of only 20 minutes.

[msxyz]

In almost 4 years my therapist was late once and less than 5 minutes.

[BonnieJean]

It would upset me if my therapist was late. Professionally, it seems irresponsible. Only once in 3.5years did I arrive before my therapist and I was early that day.

[Mactastic]

Not once.

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[HazelGirl]

I think mine has been late once in two years. Maybe twice. She's always early or on time, which is shocking based on her personality. But it's probably because she has everyone scheduled for 60 minute appointments (not 50) and then leaves 15 minutes between each appointment.

[Petra5ed]

I was numb during the session, but now I feel very upset.

My last therapist was ALWAYS late. He averaged 20 minutes, but sometimes I waited an hour. Maybe longer once or twice. But psychiatrists are notoriously late, and I was always the last client of the day. I expected to wait and never minded since he always gave me 1-1/2 to 2 hour long sessions. He was not irresponsible or unprofessional; I look at the whole person.

My therapist now was only late once in over 6 months, and it was only 5 minutes. And he actually came out to the waiting area to ask me if it was ok as he was still with his client. After the client left, I said-what would you have done if I said "no, I cannot wait". He said he didn't know what he would have done.

Sorry you are having a rough time lately.

[stopdog]

the woman has only been late once in the almost 4 years I have had appointments. She said she had forgotten about the time. I was waiting and her door was closed so I called and left a message saying I was there but leaving.

I honestly have no idea. I'm not a clock watcher. I sit and read while I wait, have my session which is consistently about 55 minutes, and leave. He tends to start his sessions about ten-fifteen minutes after the hour and run to about five after I guess, rather than the standard start when Mickey's hand is on the 12 thing. It works for me. He goes well over the hour allotted if it is necessary without ever charging extra.

[kororain]

Maybe it's semantics, but I wouldn't say she's ever been "late". Her appointments before mine run over all the time though. Can't say it's ever bothered me in any way. She never cuts my session short because of it. And I always schedule for the end of the day, so it's not like I have to get back to work or anything. NBD.

That's pretty much my take on it. I would be much more bothered if my sessions were cut short than if they start a bit late. It's always the end of my day, so I am completely on chill time when I get there.

I can only remember a few times I really recognized things were running later than his usual schedule. They were situations that had to be handled and sometimes those things happen.

The longest wait was when he had a new patient, a minor, whose parents did not speak English. Everything was having to be relayed back and forth via translation, so it was just taking twice as long to get through everything. I had already figured out what the situation was because the parents were in the waiting room when I first got there. When he came out to get them, he told me it would be awhile. I just signaled him that I completely understood. I could have left, but I was in no rush. Just sat and read until it was my turn.

[ruiner]

My "main" T was always at least 10-15 minutes late, even when she was doing a group that I was in. One time the group and I were waiting for at least 15+ so I thought it would be funny if we all pretended to be asleep in the waiting room.

[healingme4me]

I cannot recall my T being late. If he was, it may have been 1-2 minutes, finishing with previous client, that's all.
PDoc has run behind. Typical occurrence in that particular office, it's a doctors office, different perspective for me, when I look at timeliness of appointments.

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[OneWorld]

She's never arrived late but has sometimes gone over a couple minutes with her client before me. Never enough that I have been bothered by it. She has gone overtime in my session far more often than the session before mine so I figure I have the better end. My session is the last of the day so she doesn't rush to finish in time.

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Never. One time, she texted ahead of time and asked if we could start 15 minutes later than scheduled which was cool w/me.

[nottrustin]

Maybe 4 times in 7 years. I think the longest was about 15 minutes. The appointment before me ran late because that person was VERY upset to the point I could hear her two ro ms away. T was very apologetic..I completely understood as I also have ha sessions run late

[junkDNA]

my T is a clinical director (head therapist) of a residential treatment program (that im in) so he is very busy with meetings all day and sometimes they run over. ive told him before that its disrespectful and he agrees. but he is still sometimes late. but i cut him a break. i know it doesnt mean he cares less

[Leah123]

I've had approximately 180 sessions, 125 or so pre-scheduled. As best I can recall, she has been late perhaps about five times, so, once every 25 sessions. She's apologetic and typically very punctual. Only two of those times did she not let me know she was running late, including today, as a matter of fact! (Overslept, alarm malfunctioned apparently.)

[rainboots87]

I would bring it up with T. I mentioned it to my T once and had some of my own stuff mixed up with it because it was happening after a new young client was taking the session right before mine. It led to a really good discussion for both of us, and T made an effort to be more timely after that.

[Flyawayblue]

The most my T has been late was 10minutes.

[JustShakey]

Previous T left me waiting a few times, but for the most part I don't notice 5-10 minutes one way or the other. I'm more worried about getting myself there on time - I'm notoriously late.

[clairelisbeth]

Originally Posted by Petra5ed

I'm curious how common it is for your therapist to be late to your session. My therapist is frequently late, it hurt my feelings finally today. I feels like he has forgotten our last three sessions in a row. Wondering if he wants to work with me, or maybe unconsciously if he wants me to find another therapist.

I'm not interested in personal advice on this one, since I know many of you all will say fire him, how inconsiderate, and I don't want to hear it right now. But, I am curious has your T been late, if so how late, etc?

My current T is virtually never late-she always starts our sessions exactly on time, which I really appreciate. The maybe 1 or 2 times that she was running late, it was because the patient before me was having an emergency, and my T came out to the waiting room both times to let me know what was going on, and then she asked me afterwards if I had any feelings about her keeping me waiting.

A previous T, who was awful, unethical and did a lot of damage, was constantly running late, or cutting my session off early saying "I owe you 5, 10, 15 minutes." I never said anything because I was very new to therapy at the time and kind of didn't know that I could. I also wanted to be the "good patient," who didn't make waves or cause trouble. But it was both hurtful and annoying.

A previous pdoc would keep me waiting 45 minutes or an hour each time I saw him, and my drive was nearly 4 hours round trip. My current pdoc pretty much always gets me on time, except for now and then. I really appreciate that, because I know that pdocs are notorious for running late.

Petra-I would be really upset too. I think that you have every right to be. I know that you aren't interested in personal advice, but I just want to say that if I had to do it over again, I would have said something to ex-T and ex-pdoc. It makes total sense that your feelings are hurt; mine would be too.

My therapist has never been late.

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One or two minutes, fairly frequently. Once as much as five minutes, and then he apologised.