Do you think therapists owe an explanation for why they have to cancel?

My T normally says she's got an appointment and offers me another time. I've never asked what the appointment is for.

My T doesn't tell me she cancelled I just find out when she doesn't show up

Hm, I just thought of another aspect to this. Should a T apologize to a client for having to reschedule and/or thank them for being understanding/accommodating? I'm thinking particularly if it was a receptionist (not the T themselves) who called to cancel. This was often the case with MC. At first, when MC would see us next, he'd apologize and thank us for understanding. Then...he stopped apologizing, even if it was a last-minute change. I did mention this to him and said it felt like we were being taken for granted. He apologized, said he *should* have apologized for the cancellation/change and would be sure to do so in the future (I forget whether he did after that or not).

I feel it's considerate of T's to apologize, even if it was a completely unavoidable cancellation.

Oh gosh. Where did this end. Apology in blood.

What? All I'm saying is, take 10 seconds at the start of the next session to say, "Hey, sorry I had to cancel last time--thanks for understanding." That's it!

As a courtesy, it would be nice if they did, but I don't think ts "owe" their clients an explanation if they have to cancel an session here and there. If, however, they don't know how long they'll have to cancel, then I think the client would benefit having an explanation. When my T's mother was gravely ill, T was away for weeks at a time. I appreciated the explanation because it assured me that T wassn't ill.

Apologize? No.
Thank? Absolutely.

Well. . . My T considers session time sacrosanct and there is so much read into missing a session, it is so loaded with meaning and messages, that I never ever miss. I inconvenience myself to be a reliable client, and my T says that is how he knows I care and thank him. Sooooooo. If a T puts so much weight in if a patient is early, late, missing canceling. . . then it does become a curiosity when the T cancels, how they go about it and if it has no meaning v the clients' signaling all kinds of things.

I just checked, out of curiosity, and the last time my T canceled via email, the first three words were "I am sorry." She knows how much I rely on her, so I really think she does regret it when life gets in the way and she has to cancel.

I think cancelling anything in life usually is preceded simply by " I'm sorry I can't make/have to cancel" and that goes a long way whether direct or through a receptionist/secretary etc and unless a family member or close friend I think that is usually adequate-rescheduling at the time or updates /estimates of time to rescheduling may follow
Therapists are extremely personal to us and it is easy to expect more but it is their job and they have many clients/hospital/teaching commitments-blatant disregard /disrespect in any interaction is unacceptable and therapists are not exempt from that but neither should they be held to higher standards than say my oncologist who regularly wasn't there and I found out only from the whiteboard in the waiting area accompanied by approx waiting time 4-5 hrs-life happens-she had my trust/my life in her hands

No. It's really none of the client's business.

Should they apologize—if it was a last-minute cancellation and the client was inconvenienced, yes.

I just think a therapist being all secretive about it makes it a much bigger deal than it actually is. When a therapist refuses to answer a simple casual question, I think it is weird and kind of mean. For instance if I am talking about my cat and I ask "do you have any pets?" I think it is much better for them to say "yes, I have a dog," than to say something like "I don't think that's relevant." Now if a client is constantly barraging the therapist with personal questions, then I think that's different.

Personally I try to avoid asking very many personal questions at all because I've had therapists who follow up the casual question about pets (which I really only asked to be polite) with a 10 minute discussion of her wonderful dog, which is the other end of the self-disclosure spectrum.

He has always told me why he had to cancel, and I’ve always told him why I when I had to. He’s super-transparent, which I like. I just couldn’t be bothered with dealing with evasiveness.

My t has only cancelled on me when she was sick, and it was obvious before she even told me just the way she sounded on the phone. Yeah, id like to know why, and id ask, but she'd probably tell me even without asking.

I don't think she owes me, but I'd like to know if she's willing to tell..,

I don't think they don't "owe" one but if they cared about maintaining a good therapy relationship they should. My therapist always does and sometimes, he asks me if I can re-schedule (if it's a non-emergency) but he has always made it adamant that our sessions come first.

This actually happened to me the other day I hasn't seen my cbt in forever so I made a appointment and I was actually looking forward to it but at the last minute cbt cancels Odd thing was I just got a call confirming my appointment 2 hrs later I get a call saying they are canceling my appointment. I was saddened no explanation just cancelled and they mumbled something but because somewhere where I could bearly hear I said okay. I guess at sometime I'll call back and try to see what's going on but naturally with various things I'm booked next week.

In the five years that I’ve been working with my therapist she has not once suddenly canceled on me. She always lets me know in advance if she won’t be in th office. If she ever did cancel on me in the last minute I would hope that she would offer some kind of explanation although I don’t think she owes me a detailed explanation.

Owe? No. But is it courteous? Yes. If i have to cancel, I tell her why, I would like the same consideration.

Thankfully T and I seem to be on the same page about this. She has only cancelled a couple of times but in every instance she gave a reason (illness/funeral/etc).

My long-term T used to give notice and an explanation when she had to cancel (vacation, sick kid, supervision meeting) and then she started cancelling last minute for no reason or just not showing up— no explanation, no note on the door, etc. Finally, one session she said she had a health condition and this was our last session ever. She was retiring. It would have helped A LOT to know during those 2 months that she was just not showing up/cancelling what was going on so I could have been prepared for the possibility of her leaving permanently. It hit me like a ton of bricks, out of left field.

Owe is such a strong word, but generally yes, they should give an explanation as it is the standard professional response to breaking a promise/commitment.

I know there may be cultural differences, but in my experience, there's an unwritten standard professional convention to offer a brief explanation when missing a meeting at the last minute. They are usually brief-"I'm sorry I have to cancel, I have to pick up a sick kid from daycare" or "I apologize for cancelling at the last minute, but a pipe burst in my house".

Not offering basic courtesy and respect could point to a sense of entitlement or poor interpersonal skills.