Would you give a therapist a deposit or credit card to hold?

Would you give a therapist a deposit or credit card to hold?

Pasting what I said elsewhere here:

I will not allow a T to keep a credit card on file. I did that with one I saw 4 times while my regular T was gone for 6 weeks. The substitute T charged me for 5 sessions and charged more than my copay ($40/session instead of $20). Since I wasn’t authorizing each charge and she never provided a receipt/invoice/statement I didn’t catch it until much later.

I pay my current T by check every week. I don’t need a receipt because I get the check image when she deposits them. I have paid her by credit card when I was on short-term disability (so cash flow was an issue), but I always got a receipt right away (emailed - and didn’t leave until it showed up on my phone). I pay by check so she doesn’t have to pay the transaction fee for running a card, though we haven’t discussed that.

I personally would not be willing to pay an upfront deposit with someone I have no history with. If I had a history of missing sessions at the last minute I would be willing to discuss it. That’s not an issue I have though.

Yes but I have a habit of acting out by skipping sessions.

Even something small like £5 would be enough to get me to come.

It would not cause me to cancel less at all. If anything, it might be more incentive for me to cancel or quit.

I would gladly pay for the month up front as long as I had the funds because then I would know T had no plans of firing me.

It depends. I dont believe I would give somebody new money up front. However if T for some reason needed me to I would. I rarely ever miss an appointment and always pay every meeting.

I have always told my friends if I trust you to have my kids (I was VERY selective) then I trust you with everything including money). I feel feel the same about my T of I trust you enough to open up then I can't imagine money being an issue.

Come to think about it, I already have. I gave my T's billing service the cc info of my health savings plan that way the could just charge off the month invoice as appropriate and send me the receipt so I can submit it to the health savings plan.

Not a therapist as I have no history of not attending sessions, sudden cancellations, etc.

It is not uncommon to run into prepayment being required. We run into it regularly, for instance, in medical situations where before a procedure/test/surgery can take place, the facility requires a certain amount to be paid upfront and a financial agreement/plan to be put into place for the expected out-of-pocket costs. In those cases, yes, I do provide a credit card with a signed contract up front for when and how much those expenses will be applied.

I've never run into that with a therapist however, and personally it wouldn't be necessary for me; I am not a client that poses a financial risk for a therapist due to frequent or sudden cancellations.

Sure I would, it is a standard method of retaining someone for services. Pretty much every time you hire someone's services it will involve a deposit, retainer, or payment up front. I just had work done on my trailer. I paid for the parts that needed to be shipped in before the work was done; paying the labour after the fact. I just hired a genealogist and paid a deposit on her services. You hire a lawyer and you pay a retainer. You pay for a month in advance for your lease or rent. You pay upfront a security deposit, and so on. Finally if one has shown a consistent failure to make payment, it is only fair the service provider is going to require payment upfront. This is how it works.

But you are a therapist, aren't you?(I may be mistaking you with someone else)
And happily for me, I never even ran into a therapist who sought such a thing or thought like you are describing.

I voted that I would (and do) give the therapist a credit card to keep on hold but would not pay a deposit. I only have a $1k credit limit (I have excellent credit but no job) and so the only charges that go on the card are for therapy, psychiatry, and doctor appointments. So it's a very short list of charges on the card each month and not onerous to review.

I do think it is unfair that therapists can cancel at short notice for any reason (and they may or may not give one) and there is no monetary penalty associated with that action. In my experience, therapists have not charged for last minute cancellations or cancellations already inside the cancellation window that were due to illness or things like that. However, I know that some therapists are extremely rigid and would probably apply the penalty even if the client died and therefore didn't come to the appointment. I don't really understand such rigid application. Sure, therapists do have to earn a living, but all businesses have costs associated with running them. I tend to think that there should be some amount built into the budget to allow therapists to not unduly penalize clients.

The therapist has a fee of $60 for no-shows and cancellations under 24 hours. I have never been charged this. If I contacted her the day of an appointment saying I was sick and was charged, I would pay it, but that would be a major issue for me. If I chose to stay with the therapist, which I probably wouldn't, I would reduce my session frequency the following two weeks to 1x/week. This would not be with the aim of being petty or spiteful, but $60 is a way bigger chunk of change to me than the therapist, and I would need to recoup that money. So there wouldn't really be a point in her charging me...

I would it is a service i have to pay for. I have free therapy but if i went to a therapist who charges for there service. I have a pay as you go credit card so really I have to have the money on the card for the charges to go through. It's no different then going to a dentist here where i live.

I do. It makes it more gracious, and it makes me feel that hopefully my T sees me as serious and dedicated.

I would not. It isn't a standard business practice where I live, for therapists or anyone else. Services are billed after being provided, not before, with the exception of the HVAC company who I pay monthly for maintenance--but that is my choice and comes with a sizable discount (and is refundable should I change companies.) On the rare occasion when I've encountered weird payment procedures (like the drain guy who would only accept cash--currency--at time of service--clearly avoiding tax on income), I don't hire them. I don't mind paying at the time of service, as dentists/ non-insurance med providers require, but I'm not willing to engage in a transaction arrangement that assumes I will default. It's insulting. Businesses have the option of running a credit check if they're so concerned about payment unreliability.


Former T would send an invoice billing once a month for prior sessions, and charge for missed sessions in most cases w/out 24hrs notice. I have no problem with that. But the missed session charge would be invoiced just as any other charge. Current T is much looser on cancellations, and I have no co-pay, so there's no need to invoice me.

My therapist has my debit card on file, but it’s optional. I actually prefer it because then I don’t have to even think about it; they just take out my co-insurance a few days after my appointment and I get an email invoice. I would never pay a deposit though.

My therapist required a credit card on file on the very first session. He always tells me when he's going to charge it but my medical has been so high the last couple of years that I reach my maximum within the first couple months so he doesn't charge anything the rest of the year.

I would probably be willing to pay a deposit but I would be more comfortable with not paying a deposit. I would give the therapist a credit card on file or something like that but I pay in cash so I would not expect to see charges on the card and I check my cards pretty frequently. HUGS Kit

I would never be willing to pay a deposit, period. Too much risk of never getting it back if I decided to stop seeing them, plus it's not a common acceptable practice in general for similar professions, plus it would feel like a sign of distrust.

I would consider putting a credit card on file with some precautions put into place, but I'm glad my current therapist never suggested it.

I said other. During the time that I did phone sessions while ex-T lived out of state, I mailed her checks in advance of sessions. For the last I forget how long like 5 months or so that I was still seeing her, I paid her monthly in advance. I actually kind of liked that once we started doing it. I mean it wasn't like I wasn't going to show up ever, I very very rarely ever canceled, but it was kind of nice not messing with the financial stuff every week.

I voted it depends.

Probably not. But if the reasoning behind the request or policy made sense and felt like a fair one, I'd probably consider it.

Not anymore. Smaug used my bank card to charge me after dumping me for things she wasn’t owed for.

And after Piaf, no deposit. If I leave a therapist, I don’t want to stay in touch to get my deposit back.

yes cuz i’m forgetful and dealing with money after a session kinda kills the vibe for me. i wouldn’t go to a therapist i felt i couldn’t trust with money.

I don’t like the idea of the therapist keeping a credit card on file for me. My therapist doesn’t require it. I just pay my co-pay each time I go in. I pay in a timely manner and I show up for all of my sessions. I don’t feel like there is a need for a therapist to hold my credit card on file when I am always up to date on my payments.

I would if it was a new therapist and it was their policy then I suppose, but I'd be more comfortable with credit card info than deposit. I would mind a lot more if my current T suddenly changed it for no reason. It wouldn't be about the money or trusting him with credit card info, it would be about why, after over a year with never having any problems, he would suddenly require that.

It's not currently an issue anyway, because my primary and secondary insurance together cover 100%, no copay or deductible. When I had a $10 copay I usually paid in cash just because it was easier than watching him struggle with technology (he'd just moved to private practice so it was new for him)

I suppose there's the canceling on short notice fee, but if he saw me again he'd get paid then, and if I disappeared and never contacted him again then I'd hope it wouldn't be the fee that he was concerned about.

I believe strictly enforcing a cancellation policy that includes adequate reimbursement is better than asking for a credit card or deposit.