[stopdog]

How much notice of a therapist's cancellation do you like to have? It is not a big deal to me although I prefer not to be wasting my time getting to that person's office. I was more baffled when the woman would tell me weeks in advance - one it is not like I was going to remember and two the appointment was not such a big deal in my life that not having it was going to have much bearing on me. Usually I was happier not going.

[Argonautomobile]

As long as I have not started the trek to the office, it is fine. Boy, did it piss me off the time I got there and they told me the therapist wasn't in.

[atisketatasket]

Doesn’t matter to me. I have been en route to the office when the appointment was canceled by text. That was fine, I just made a left instead of a right at the next intersection and went swimming.

[unaluna]

I was once on the bus literally riding past the t's building when my phone buzzed.

Several years ago, i told my t he could change my appointment for whatever was more convenient for him, he did it once or twice and i completely flipped out. He just sounded so GUILTY on the phone! Eta - like he was cheating? I couldnt deal with it. So we stopped that.

[awkwardlyyours]

As much as possible. And, in as less a patronizing way as possible -- E.g. I absolutely hate being handed a printout of the next six months' worth of cancellations as current T was wont to do but now has thankfully stopped; or, being asked, with a great deal of concern if I will be okay etc.

I don't care about the occasional last-minute notice but would hate it if it were to become the norm.

I have so little time to spare (this weekend feels like a real holiday because it's the first time in a really long while that I'm not working continuously through it) that in order to make it to therapy, I've given up doing other stuff (events, workshops, short travel, other stuff that takes time to prep for before doing etc) that clashes with therapy.

So, I'd be pissed as heck if my therapist knew well in advance but didn't bother telling me for whatever the reason and so, I couldn't schedule other stuff that I'd been putting off in order to make it to therapy.

[ruh roh]

If it's a planned cancellation, like a vacation, I like to know as far in advance as possible, partly because it gives me time to plan something else. Two weeks has been the minimum, but I've been given as much as four months notice.

If it's due to an emergency on my therapist's end of things, I can deal with any kind of notice, but would prefer enough notice that I'm not en route.

If it's a similar situation to another poster whose therapist told her at the end of the session that the next one was cancelled, I would not like that at all. In that case, I would want to know right off the bat so that I could be more selective in what I brought up in session--nothing that would be too heavy.

[Sarmas]

It can’t be at the start of your session when she has somehow forgotten that you were scheduled to be there and double booked you after driving 30 min. Then shrug it off as human error and place the blame on me for being extreme. That’s not effective therapy but what do i know I’m just a client. Right? Sorry just a little upset.

[starfishing]

I prefer at least 2 weeks when possible for a planned cancellation, because there are ways I can set my work schedule and maximize my time differently if I know at least 2 weeks out that I'm not going to have to trek to therapy at my usual time(s). For an unpredictable emergency cancellation, preferably at least an hour so that I'm not already on my way there or actively preparing to leave.

I chose it doesn't matter to me. This is now, of course. In the past when I was.. yeah I admit it... pretty much planning my life around my sessions, I would have gotten upset if she didn't tell me well in advance. Anytime she planned to take time off that would affect my normal session, she told me usually 2 weeks in advance. Only very rarely did she ever text me and cancel an hour or so before my session because she was sick. Maybe twice or 3 times in 6+ years.

Now though? Doesn't really matter. And I am ever so thankful for that.

[SummerTime12]

My therapist has canceled with as little as 30 min notice and I was ok with that because they were situations completely out of his control. As a result I wasn’t upset with him or anything, but I didn’t select “as long as I have not started the trek to the office, it is fine. Cancellations are not a big deal to me.”
The first part applies to me, but the sending part does not. Although I was ok with him cancelling, it was still a big deal to me inwardly because I was in a very rough place at the time and counting down to sessions.

[LostOnTheTrail]

Definitely a week or so, when possible.

This latest curveball has really screwed me up. It's just terrible timing, but it is so much more than that. I am grateful that she emailed when she could, but three days' notice of indefinite unavailability hurts.

[Teddy Bear]

I would like it if my T would call to cancel sometimes she forgets and I wait for her to show up

[Salmon77]

When it's a planned vacation or something I think 1-2 weeks in advance is good. But if the T were sick and called in the morning I wouldn't be upset. So long as I didn't drive all that way for nothing.

[kecanoe]

I chose other.

I guess I would say as much as possible. T1 tells me way in advance so that we can reschedule if it is a planned thing. T3 is usually a couple of weeks. I'm ok with that.

If for illness or emergency, as much as possible. T1 has rescheduled twice for family emergencies, T3 has never been sick or had an emergency.

[Spangle]

Originally Posted by ruh roh

If it's a planned cancellation, like a vacation, I like to know as far in advance as possible, partly because it gives me time to plan something else. Two weeks has been the minimum, but I've been given as much as four months notice.

If it's due to an emergency on my therapist's end of things, I can deal with any kind of notice, but would prefer enough notice that I'm not en route.

If it's a similar situation to another poster whose therapist told her at the end of the session that the next one was cancelled, I would not like that at all. In that case, I would want to know right off the bat so that I could be more selective in what I brought up in session--nothing that would be too heavy.

This is exactly like me. ruh roh you could have written this for me,

[MessyD]

I prefer week or 2 for vacation or something planned. Never told him that but that’s the notice i usually get. It works for me because that way I can plan other things. I also like routine so last minute would throw me off. And I don’t like to get into heavy stuff knowing that he won’t be there next week.
I can understand emergency and I wouldn’t get upset if it happened. Luckily he only cancelled once just couple hours before and it was due to weather and I was kind of expecting that.
But since most of them expect us to give them 24 notice I think it Would be nice if it worked the other way too. I wouldn’t like to get there just to find out he’s not there.

[AllHeart]

I tend to get overly anxious and worked up the day before my appointment so I guess I would like a 24 hr cancellation notice to avoid that. Otherwise, I wouldn't care. Also, my t's cancellation policy requires 24 hour notice or client pays, exceptions for occasional emergencies. So I would expect the same from t.

[nottrustin]

I would like to know the day before but not necessary. The reason I like the day before is because the day before it never fails that my head starts preparing for my appointment. I start thinking about what to discuss. When she cancels the say of it is a leg down because I now have to wait another week. I am okay though if I find out about the cancellation before I leave for my appointment.

[DP_2017]

Ideally at least a day but he has gotten sick before and gave a 35 min notice, it truly sucked but he ended up in the hospital days later so he wasn't joking about it.... stuff happens sometimes

[Fernwehxx]

It depends. If my T is sick, the, thats usually a cancellation close to the appoinyment, same day...
Anything else, we usually both plan ahead and talk about next appointments at end of session and set a date and time (I need some flexibility due to my work schedule. So we schedule a new one after a session and dont have a fix time)... So far, neither of us cancelled due to whatever reasons aside from her being sick once.

[fille_folle]

I said other. I wouldn't say that unplanned cancellations just don't affect me, but it's not like I have a tantrum when they happen. As for planned absences for T vacations or conferences, I prefer to know as far ahead as possible. I also appreciate knowing ahead of time how much time my T is planning to take off for various holidays. I will never ask, as I don't like to communicate neediness, but I find it reassuring to know ahead of time.

[SalingerEsme]

Lol it is hard to be a T. We are all over the map in how we feel about this, Because my T reads SO much into if I miss, am late etc, it drives me crazy if he cancels 3 or 4 times in a month. He would probably fire me as a client if I did that. Also there is an emotional component, in which I feel pushed to tell secrets, and he tells me to trust the frame/ process etc, and then he is like see ya later, going to Disney World.

[Anne2.0]

Depends.

[Wonderfalls]

My therapist's office assistant called the day before my (2nd) appt to ask me to come in 2 hours earlier. I asked if I could come a different day, then, but they said not until February. That's all fine, but I was really surprised that no one apologized or thanked me. As in sorry...or thank you..."something came up".

I never had a T cancelling last minute. I selected "I prefer a week or so when possible", simply for planning my life. I am quite adaptable and only care much about last minute changes when it is an important work project or a more extensive activity, but have a generally busy schedule and I adjusted in to incorporate therapy. If I know cancellations in advance, I can plan other things, including just some extra rest at home. In a great deal of time when I was in therapy, I also prepared for sessions a lot mentally and would not have enjoyed that being disrupted, although not a big deal.

I definitely would not want to talk with the T about cancellations in length, definitely would not want to spend a session with that. I think that sometimes some Ts overinterpret these things and project significance into them where there is none. For example, if someone cancels on me, I don't sense it as a personal rejection or a blip on our relationship, just maybe some annoyance about my schedule and projects being messed up. And if it is frequent, a lack of reliability, which is not very desirable in a professional.