Therapy first session cancellation

Hi all,

I was due to start therapy this evening but won't make it with work commitments, I gave 24 hours notice but have been advised I still need to pay the full cost of the session as 48 hours notice was needed.

Is this standard practice and should I be okay with paying this?

Thanks

Were these terms communicated to you when you booked it?

Peregrinus

On the face of them, they're not unreasonable terms. Presumably its difficult for the therapist to reschedule a session for another patient at such short notice, so effectively you're blocking a slot that you're not using.

I get that it's a work thing, and you're not entirely in control of whether you can make the appointment or not. But the therapist has zero control over it; there's no reason why he should bear the costs resulting from an issue that, if it can be sorted out, can only be sorted out between you and your employer.

Faith

That would be pretty standard practice and should have been outlined in the t&cs or contract you agreed to. Why did you book a session at a time that could be so easily disrupted by work? A therapist won't be able to fill that slot at such short notice.

If "work commitments" get in the way that easily, it doesn't spark confidence for the therapist in your commitment to the process, especially as you're cancelling the first appointment. If it were me, I'd be assuming you'd be likely to cancel many more, leaving me out of pocket in both time and money so I can see why they have enforced this so early on.

You have two choices: Prioritise therapy or work. If you don't want to pay for a missed session, then prioritise therapy.

bobdcow

My councilor is 24 hours notice of cancellation. He has it on his business card when he writes out your next appointment date, cancel less that that and it's the full payment.

magicbastarder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118022862#Comment_118022862

this. if you fail to show for your first session, and make an issue of paying up, i would not be surprised if the therapist had 'difficulty' fitting you in to other slots in future.

SaltSweatSugar

Yeah I wouldn’t see an issue with the therapist having that policy.

The place I used to go to had a waiting list to get an initial appointment because they were so busy and they had a similar cancellation policy.

I was waiting weeks for my first appointment and only got it because someone cancelled so it could be the same story in the place you went to.

tixati

When I went for counselling a few years ago that was the policy. By cancelling at such short notice you cost your therapist money and didn't give them enough time to give someone else that time slot.

Big Bag of Chips

Did you only know 24 hours prior to the appointment that you were going to have to work? Did work give you very short notice of needing to be in? Could you not have told work you had an appointment on that day and were unavailable to work? If you knew long before 24 hours then you should have contacted the counsellor sooner. If work asked you to work last minute you should have told them you had an appointment and were not available.

I work in a sector that has long waiting lists and strict appointments. We Covid Screen the patients by phone the day before. You would not believe the amount of people who cancel their appointment during this phone call. These are people who have had at least 2-3 weeks notice of their appointment but don't think it worth calling to cancel/reschedule and only let us know when we actually contact them. It doesn't give us time to contact other patients to come in at such short notice.

And people wonder why hospital waiting lists are so long!

PalLimerick

Although it's short notice, I'd go somewhere else, especially as it's your first appointment. I'd assume you have no personal attachment to that Therapist.

thefallingman

You should have said no to work and yes to therapy, you chose work so perhaps it's simply not that important to you.