How often is your therapist late?

So no grace/leeway in therapy . . . I honestly don't know why. I know some people are real sticklers for time/clocks. I'm just not one of them. I find being willing/able to live with a degree of flexibilty and forgiveness so much less stressful. On my list of things my T must be in order to be an effective therapist, complete punctuality is way down the list. So many much more important characteristics.

I don't consider 1 or 2 minutes actually late. I consider it probably a difference in clocks!!

The first therapist I ever saw was always late. She made the time up at the end, but she was never, ever on time. I just started going 15 minutes or so later than the stated time.

I guess I don't mind T being late for a couple of reasons first of all it rarely happens. Secondly if I am really stressed out that time could be therapeutic in using my coping skills. Lastly, T's appointments start on the 1/2 hour and run 20 minutes long. 90% of the time when I get there (usually early for my appointment) the appointment before me has already left when she hears me walking in the hall she will tell me to come right in (we are the only ones in the building). So I start early and still finish at my scheduled time

my current T is almost never late. I think she may have been late once, and that was because I had called and warned her I may be running late also. I guess tha technically made her on time...
Another T I had was almost always 20 minutes late, but she would run 20 minutes over (or whatever the client needed if time allowed, or if there was an emergency) to compensate. It never really bothered me because I tend to run late in other things I do (I manage to be on time for therapy though). After learning her style of generally running late, I adjusted my schedule to fit. I tend to be really easy-going about appointment times if it's not too much more than about 20 minutes. Both my PCP and GYN tend to run 45-75 minutes late however, and I have learned to incorporate that into my schedule also. The whole presentation of the provider goes a long way in my forgiveness of time investment. If I didn't like either my PCP or GYN as much as I do, I would not tolerate the chronic extreme lateness.

I guess I would be ok with a grace period if it also worked in the other direction but most times it does not .your time to end is your time to end no grace period .

Yes I agree with you, Tinyrabbit. He has a separate waiting room, so I have never run into another client. But still, I agree that he should have a minimum break of 5-10 minutes. But he's been a T for 40+ years and I don't feel comfortable asking why he doesn't even though I wish I could!

For the T it's not just about turning up but clearing their mind and being grounded, ready and present. I just don't see how that's possible if they only just got there.

Does 1 or 2 minutes really detract from that?

My past therapists have never been late, and I would not tolerate it from them if it became habitual. To me it's a sign of disrespect.

Well if they're a minute late, they can't be in the room, prepared and ready, before you get there. So yes!!

I very much agree, Going. My time is as valuable as a T's. I wouldn't put up with chronic lateness from a T now. If it was someone that I really liked and connected with, I might try to see if it was something we could talk about and work through.

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Mine has been late finishing up with the previous appointment sometimes, but also gives me a few minutes sometimes to finish what we're doing if she thinks I need it. With her I see it as caring about her patients.

I agree. I am ok with 5 or 10 minutes or more for an emergency, but being late 15 minutes-plus every single time is very unprofessional.

Have you guys checked the clock your T uses? It might be a few minutes behind the clock you are using. So your T might thinks she's on time, whereas according to your own clock she's not. When you get in the room look at her clock, you might be surprised. And then see if she ends according to her clock as well. Even if she wears a watch, she's more likely to go by the clock on the wall which is easier to look at and which the clients can see as well.

I think she was speaking of instances of more like 1-5 minutes which some say is just not tolerable. Not quite the same thing.

Nope, delays of 15-30 minutes cannot be blamed on clock variations, only on the therapist.

But delays of five minutes or less may be explained by clock variations. My former T was always five minutes late and then one day I looked at her clock the moment I walked in her office and it was five minutes behind the waiting room clock. I checked it for a few weeks and it was consistently behind and her lateness was thus explained.

My old T was nearly never late and she was very professional but she was missing the "human side of things". My new T is little more chaotic and often she is few minutes late but I'm willing to let this go as she is offering what I really need from her. And as long as I have my full session I'm ok.

My psychologist is always late. And by late I mean 15-20 minutes late. Actually, as it happens all the time, I don't even consider him late anymore, that's just how he works, I know he's late with every patient he sees and that's it. He's really good at his job, and my sessions are never shorten, sometimes they're even longer if I need too so it's not a problem.