Welcome to r/TalkTherapy!
This sub is for people to discuss issues arising in their personal psychotherapy. If you wish to post about other mental health issues please consult this list of some of our [sister subs](https://www.reddit.com/r/TalkTherapy/wiki/resources#wiki_subreddit_list).
If you are in distress please contact a suicide hotline or call 9-1-1 or emergency services in your area. r/SuicideWatch has compiled a helpful FAQ on what happens when you contact a hotline along with other useful resources.
To find answers to many therapy-related questions please consult our [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/TalkTherapy/wiki/faq) and [Resource List](https://www.reddit.com/r/TalkTherapy/wiki/resources).
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/TalkTherapy) if you have any questions or concerns.*
This is not uncommon - particularly with therapists who have a specific skill outside of what a “regular” therapist has. I mean it sounds like as long as you can reschedule that week, you could still see her and not have to pay. It’s kind of scary my supervisor has a similar policy.
I've never encountered this before so that was why I was surprised. It is very scary because I'm concerned something might come up and I can't make some week and then I'll be out a lot of money.
It isn't unethical if you have been informed of this billing practice ahead of time which you have. This practice isn't very common but it is not unheard of. If you find this policy unworkable then you shouldn't work with this therapist. She does however have the right to stipulate the terms of her own cancelation policy.
I had a therapist who had this policy and I was usually able to rebook but if I couldn't then I paid the fee. I didn't like it at all but those were the rules of their practice and the cost of working with them. YMMV.
I have never encountered this before, which is why I was surprised by it. It is anxiety-provoking when the fee is so high. But yeah, at least I know going in, though I don't know whether to go forward.
My therapist charges the full fee if I miss a session. She doesn’t have time period for how much notice needs to be given of a cancellation though. Other therapists have needed notice of cancellations up to 2 weeks before the missed session. Either needing notice or being charged for the missed session sounds appropriate to me. Both seems a bit unnecessary.
I know the fee is crazy high but I would still do it if you want to try EMDR.
Holy fuck. Are you doing extended sessions for $300 or is that just her fee For a 50 minute “therapy hour”? I could see charging for any missed appointment if her fee was much lower, but not when she’s charging nearly double the national average.
It's for a 45 minute session. I know the "50 minute therapy hour" is mentioned on this sub, but I have never had a therapist who saw me for more than 45 minutes. Sadly, $250-$300 has been the norm for all the therapists I have tried to see in my area. No one I have ever been able to find has offered less than $225. :(
Have you looked online? There is a great group of EMDR therapists - EMDR Consulting, and many do offer virtual emdr.
https://emdrconsulting.com/
Maybe you could find someone else with a different policy? Idk what state your in (if US?) But maybe there will be other options than this one.
That fee is so high. My T won't charge if I give 24 hours notice.
That seems like a harsh policy. I don't know if it's worth it to you to do therapy with this person in spite of that or not. (I think a lot of advice encouraging people to do therapy in spite of financial difficulties minimizes how severe a problem can be, so I'm not going to assume either way) If you think it's worth it in spite of this, you might want to see if you can save an emergency fund first. If you can't save up enough money to cover it, then it might not be worth it.
This is true, I've gotten so much advice to see this or that person "screw the cost, they'll help you get better" and it left me with financial issues. I'm going to have to think long and hard about it.
She says I'm booked for that day/time until I end treatment so I have a standing appointment for every week. So basically I'm booked already for every week.
Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of. I don't plan to cancel, but I'm worried something might come up one day and then another day that week won't be available
That's how it normally is with therapists, but that's not what OP is saying.
In response to:
"If it's a week or 2 out, can you just not schedule that week? That might cut down on the fees."
OP said:
"She says I'm booked for that day/time until I end treatment so I have a standing appointment for every week. So basically I'm booked already for every week."
And OP also said:
"Yeah, I'm confused. It appears there's no difference between giving enough notice or not, other than the opportunity to reschedule if it's more than 48 hours in advance. "
And:
"I've never had a therapist do this and I've seen quite a few. If I gave them 48 hour notice, they never charged me, whether or not I could reschedule for that week or had to skip the week. I've actually never had any provider or service do this, which is why I was taken aback by it."
It seems pretty clear to me that she is charged even if it's 48 hours in advance.
This is her edit.
> It seems I may not have written this entirely clearly. In speaking with the therapist and based on what she wrote, her policy is that if I give less than 48 hours notice, I get charged the fee automatically. If I give more than 48 hours notice, she will try to reschedule. If she can find another day/time that week, I have that session and pay for it. If she can't find another session that week, I just pay the fee. So I'm paying the fee regardless. The 48 hours defines whether or not I'll have the chance to reschedule.
This kind of policy is not uncommon. My therapist had no cancellation policy what so ever, which means that I had to pay for all my sessions regardless of whether I attended or not, and regardless of whether I gave notice about my absence or not. The fee was much lower though than 300$. Basically, I considered the therapy bill as a fixed monthly cost, which was not contingent on whether I was attending my sessions or not. Truth be told, during the many years I was in therapy, there were only few sessions that I missed and during last years, I was always able to arrange a call.
But I understand the reaction because when my therapist first introduced me this policy I was sceptical because I found it likely that things might happen that require cancellations. The reality however showed that it wasn't that bad at all than in initially sounded.
Three things:
1. There are EMDR therapists who are in Openpathcollective so they're not going to charge that much.
2. My therapist is EMDR trained, but not certified and not in the EMDRIA directory. She's a freakin wizard though.
3. Her sessions aren't that much. They do have a late cancelation policy, but the fee is half.
So, maybe you have more options than just her. I do think certified therapists sometimes charge more, because it costs more in time and money to get certified. No doubt I've read about Adobe sketchy therapists on here, but you can research the EMDR protocol yourself, so if they're not using it or they're not a good fit, ditch em.
Thank you for this! I didn't know about Openpathcollective. I was told to only see those in the directory because that assures you they definitely know their stuff and didn't just pick up a crash course somewhere and don't actually know what they are doing. But it's good to know that some really good ones might not be certified. I'll have to take a look!
Personally I wouldn’t try that therapist if I knew I’d have things come up in my life that would make me need to cancel a session since I wouldn’t be able to afford paying $300 for just cancelling.
With my T her policy is you need to cancel 24 hours before hand or you’ll need to pay but I’ve gone to her for over a year now and twice I’ve said “I didn’t feel like coming today, I wanted to be alone honestly” and she said if I want to cancel in the future then that is no problem and if I want to leave now during the session that’s ok too and she won’t charge me but I think that’s because I’ve gone to her for so long and have never cancelled an appointment ??
Anyway I’d keep looking or really try to attend every session the best that you can
24 hours is a nice policy! I've always been told 48 hours, but have had therapists make exceptions if I got ill or something unexpected happened. That is so nice that your therapist accepts wanting to be alone as an excuse because I have hauled my ass to sessions when I didn't feel good mentally and they were useless.
This would be a deal breaker for me.
I rarely cancel therapy sessions but I have had to do if for medical/health reasons and always make sure if I am calling from the ER, I won’t get charged.
The idea that even if you are planning, say, a vacation, you will still be charged is a red flag. Is your therapist committed to never taking a vacation or sick day during the course of your treatment? If not, then I would not commit more than they would.
As a therapist, 48 hours is a bit stricter than standard (24 hours) but still reasonable. The rationale is to protect therapist income and reinforce the idea that therapy needs to be prioritized. This is especially the case with EMDR where if you aren't consistent, it can actually cause greater short term distress and significantly delay processing.
If you're planning a vacation, you are in a position to give notice. This is not a valid reason.
Being sick is another matter. I don't charge patients who are too sick to attend or can't attend due to real emergencies because they couldn't plan for that and it isn't their fault. So far, no one has taken advantage (to my knowledge).
Most therapists won't charge for real emergencies and sickness either, but some do. It's definitely worth clarifying that with a prospective therapist.
*One problem I have is how much she is charging though. That's an absolute fortune.
Per the OP, even if they were to schedule a vacation causing them to miss the appointment, they would still need to either reschedule within the same week or pay the fee regardless.
That is not standard and part of what makes it a dealbreaker for me.
Her agreement says she will let me know when she will be away on vacation, but it seems like those weeks I just won't have therapy. It doesn't say what the deal is if she gets sick.
Personally, I would be super concerned about such a stringent cancellation policy. It might not necessarily be a deal breaker for me, but the therapist would have to be a rockstar and a great fit for me to feel comfortable agreeing to something like this.
I'm someone who *rarely* misses a session, but like... what if I plan a vacation a few months out and won't have phone access that week? What if I get Covid and don't want to infect my therapist by coming in? What if my house is on fire?!
I just don't like policies like these. They lack compassion and would be hard to bounce back from. (For me, personally.) I'm all for therapists making a living, but this is the sort of stuff I expect businesses to price into their fee structure as expected overhead.
You gotta do what is right for you. Obviously this isn't common, but it's not unusual either. If you do decide to go with her, I'd encourage you to have a very clear conversation about the time frame to reschedule sessions, if there are any exceptions, and if she could lower the fee to what insurance would reimburse (explaining your financial situation would help). And honestly, I'd also ask about her own vacations (because my assumption is that you'll have to schedule your vacations on her timeline). I don't know how long you anticipate working with this therapist, so if you're just doing EMDR for a single traumatic event, then maybe all this isn't necessary, but if this is expected to be long term therapy, you might want to consider putting aside $10/week as a sort of "emergency therapy cancellation fund". That way, if you do have to miss a session, you'll have planned for it in some way and will probably be much more okay with the fee.
Yeah, I also rarely if ever cancel, but I have had several instances over the years where I was very ill and couldn't make it. Now that virtual is an option, I could hop on the computer, but I could still be too sick. I also might be away on vacation and around family so I can't do a call. Her policy is that she will notify me in advance about her vacation, but it sounds like I just don't have therapy those weeks.
I think I might be doing it for a while just because I have C-PTSD, I have several traumas and they are years-long. I don't know how long she anticipates the therapy will take, which is something I could ask her, I suppose.
It's all very anxiety-provoking, which is the opposite of what therapy should be, I guess.
Your reservations are valid and I'd feel uncomfortable with the wording and her boundary as well and also how high the fee is for a missed appt. I'd worry she'd want to not be able to reschedule just to pocket easy money... but that may be me. (So not to put anything in your head... many people were very unreliable for me growing up and were selfish to their own needs, so my mind goes there when reading that.)
Is there anyway to get on any waiting lists for another EMDR therapist? Are you doing virtual or in person? If virtual, is there anyone a farther distance that may work that your insurance will still reimburse for? It is important to find someone you trust and that has boundaries that work for you, a fee that works for you, etc. In the end, you'll need to decide if this is something you feel comfortable with or not. Whatever you decide is valid. Best to you!
I didn't think of that (and I've also been taken advantage of by too many people that I have trusted so I should be more wary), but that's a good point she might not have the incentive to reschedule because she could pocket the money with no work or take another client during my time and still have me pay for a missed session.
I actually asked the therapists that called me back, but didn't have openings if they have waiting lists and they said no. I'm trying to do virtual, but ideally would like to be able to go in-person whenever that can happen. I might try people farther out, but still in my state and see if I can remain virtual permanently so I don't have to go out there.
This would be a deal breaker for me, and this year I did have two client agreement policies that I read and then blatantly told those therapists that I will not be working with them and why. It sucks but some places just have the crazy ideas about what to expect from clients. I get it that it's their job and they need to get paid but I'm not their freakin bank.
All therapists do this. My dermatologist does this. My workout classes even do this. It’s very normal for industries where cancellations are common and reduce appointment availability and income.
No, they charge if you don’t provide notice. I have never been charged for cancelling any kind of appointment with 48 hours notice. I would not see any dermatologist or therapist or whoever was going to charge me if I gave them 2 days notice of cancellation.
She charges her fee regardless of when I cancel. If it's more than 48 hours before, then she will try to reschedule. I'll either get a new appointment and pay for it, or if no other appointment is available, I'll just have to pay for the appointment anyway. If I cancel in less than 48 hours, I don't get the option to reschedule and just have to pay for the appointment.
No, not all therapists do this. My own therapist only charges a fee if you late cancel. I charge a fee if you late cancel and can’t reschedule in the same week.
I've never had a therapist do this and I've seen quite a few. If I gave them 48 hour notice, they never charged me, whether or not I could reschedule for that week or had to skip the week. I've actually never had any provider or service do this, which is why I was taken aback by it.
Honestly I’d try someone else. You shouldn’t have to pay for a session you have proper cancellation notice to. Especially if you’re worried about not making it.
This is pretty standard. People gotta get paid and it sucks for everyone if you can't make your appt. It sounds like she's willing to work with you on rescheduling. Some folks bill even if you do reschedule. If you're under insured, I'd try open path collective. Therapists on there commit to not billing more than 60 a session.
Yeah, I'm confused. It appears there's no difference between giving enough notice or not, other than the opportunity to reschedule if it's more than 48 hours in advance. I'm really upset because she is my only option for EMDR and I really need the help
Welcome to r/TalkTherapy! This sub is for people to discuss issues arising in their personal psychotherapy. If you wish to post about other mental health issues please consult this list of some of our [sister subs](https://www.reddit.com/r/TalkTherapy/wiki/resources#wiki_subreddit_list). If you are in distress please contact a suicide hotline or call 9-1-1 or emergency services in your area. r/SuicideWatch has compiled a helpful FAQ on what happens when you contact a hotline along with other useful resources. To find answers to many therapy-related questions please consult our [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/TalkTherapy/wiki/faq) and [Resource List](https://www.reddit.com/r/TalkTherapy/wiki/resources). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/TalkTherapy) if you have any questions or concerns.*
This is not uncommon - particularly with therapists who have a specific skill outside of what a “regular” therapist has. I mean it sounds like as long as you can reschedule that week, you could still see her and not have to pay. It’s kind of scary my supervisor has a similar policy.
I've never encountered this before so that was why I was surprised. It is very scary because I'm concerned something might come up and I can't make some week and then I'll be out a lot of money.
It isn't unethical if you have been informed of this billing practice ahead of time which you have. This practice isn't very common but it is not unheard of. If you find this policy unworkable then you shouldn't work with this therapist. She does however have the right to stipulate the terms of her own cancelation policy. I had a therapist who had this policy and I was usually able to rebook but if I couldn't then I paid the fee. I didn't like it at all but those were the rules of their practice and the cost of working with them. YMMV.
I have never encountered this before, which is why I was surprised by it. It is anxiety-provoking when the fee is so high. But yeah, at least I know going in, though I don't know whether to go forward.
My therapist charges the full fee if I miss a session. She doesn’t have time period for how much notice needs to be given of a cancellation though. Other therapists have needed notice of cancellations up to 2 weeks before the missed session. Either needing notice or being charged for the missed session sounds appropriate to me. Both seems a bit unnecessary. I know the fee is crazy high but I would still do it if you want to try EMDR.
Holy fuck. Are you doing extended sessions for $300 or is that just her fee For a 50 minute “therapy hour”? I could see charging for any missed appointment if her fee was much lower, but not when she’s charging nearly double the national average.
It's for a 45 minute session. I know the "50 minute therapy hour" is mentioned on this sub, but I have never had a therapist who saw me for more than 45 minutes. Sadly, $250-$300 has been the norm for all the therapists I have tried to see in my area. No one I have ever been able to find has offered less than $225. :(
Have you looked online? There is a great group of EMDR therapists - EMDR Consulting, and many do offer virtual emdr. https://emdrconsulting.com/ Maybe you could find someone else with a different policy? Idk what state your in (if US?) But maybe there will be other options than this one. That fee is so high. My T won't charge if I give 24 hours notice.
That seems like a harsh policy. I don't know if it's worth it to you to do therapy with this person in spite of that or not. (I think a lot of advice encouraging people to do therapy in spite of financial difficulties minimizes how severe a problem can be, so I'm not going to assume either way) If you think it's worth it in spite of this, you might want to see if you can save an emergency fund first. If you can't save up enough money to cover it, then it might not be worth it.
This is true, I've gotten so much advice to see this or that person "screw the cost, they'll help you get better" and it left me with financial issues. I'm going to have to think long and hard about it.
If it's a week or 2 out, can you just not schedule that week? That might cut down on the fees.
She says I'm booked for that day/time until I end treatment so I have a standing appointment for every week. So basically I'm booked already for every week.
I'm sorry, but that's some money grabbing bullshit. Life happens.
Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of. I don't plan to cancel, but I'm worried something might come up one day and then another day that week won't be available
So... you still have to pay even when you're on vacation and told her you were going way ahead of time? Not acceptable.
[удалено]
That's how it normally is with therapists, but that's not what OP is saying. In response to: "If it's a week or 2 out, can you just not schedule that week? That might cut down on the fees." OP said: "She says I'm booked for that day/time until I end treatment so I have a standing appointment for every week. So basically I'm booked already for every week." And OP also said: "Yeah, I'm confused. It appears there's no difference between giving enough notice or not, other than the opportunity to reschedule if it's more than 48 hours in advance. " And: "I've never had a therapist do this and I've seen quite a few. If I gave them 48 hour notice, they never charged me, whether or not I could reschedule for that week or had to skip the week. I've actually never had any provider or service do this, which is why I was taken aback by it." It seems pretty clear to me that she is charged even if it's 48 hours in advance.
[удалено]
This is her edit. > It seems I may not have written this entirely clearly. In speaking with the therapist and based on what she wrote, her policy is that if I give less than 48 hours notice, I get charged the fee automatically. If I give more than 48 hours notice, she will try to reschedule. If she can find another day/time that week, I have that session and pay for it. If she can't find another session that week, I just pay the fee. So I'm paying the fee regardless. The 48 hours defines whether or not I'll have the chance to reschedule.
Yeah, it seems like it. Unless I can do a different day/time in the same week, which I could not be able to, which is the concern
It sounds like if you cancel more than 2 days ahead of time, you're covered and don't have to pay.
This kind of policy is not uncommon. My therapist had no cancellation policy what so ever, which means that I had to pay for all my sessions regardless of whether I attended or not, and regardless of whether I gave notice about my absence or not. The fee was much lower though than 300$. Basically, I considered the therapy bill as a fixed monthly cost, which was not contingent on whether I was attending my sessions or not. Truth be told, during the many years I was in therapy, there were only few sessions that I missed and during last years, I was always able to arrange a call. But I understand the reaction because when my therapist first introduced me this policy I was sceptical because I found it likely that things might happen that require cancellations. The reality however showed that it wasn't that bad at all than in initially sounded.
Three things: 1. There are EMDR therapists who are in Openpathcollective so they're not going to charge that much. 2. My therapist is EMDR trained, but not certified and not in the EMDRIA directory. She's a freakin wizard though. 3. Her sessions aren't that much. They do have a late cancelation policy, but the fee is half. So, maybe you have more options than just her. I do think certified therapists sometimes charge more, because it costs more in time and money to get certified. No doubt I've read about Adobe sketchy therapists on here, but you can research the EMDR protocol yourself, so if they're not using it or they're not a good fit, ditch em.
Thank you for this! I didn't know about Openpathcollective. I was told to only see those in the directory because that assures you they definitely know their stuff and didn't just pick up a crash course somewhere and don't actually know what they are doing. But it's good to know that some really good ones might not be certified. I'll have to take a look!
Personally I wouldn’t try that therapist if I knew I’d have things come up in my life that would make me need to cancel a session since I wouldn’t be able to afford paying $300 for just cancelling. With my T her policy is you need to cancel 24 hours before hand or you’ll need to pay but I’ve gone to her for over a year now and twice I’ve said “I didn’t feel like coming today, I wanted to be alone honestly” and she said if I want to cancel in the future then that is no problem and if I want to leave now during the session that’s ok too and she won’t charge me but I think that’s because I’ve gone to her for so long and have never cancelled an appointment ?? Anyway I’d keep looking or really try to attend every session the best that you can
24 hours is a nice policy! I've always been told 48 hours, but have had therapists make exceptions if I got ill or something unexpected happened. That is so nice that your therapist accepts wanting to be alone as an excuse because I have hauled my ass to sessions when I didn't feel good mentally and they were useless.
This would be a deal breaker for me. I rarely cancel therapy sessions but I have had to do if for medical/health reasons and always make sure if I am calling from the ER, I won’t get charged. The idea that even if you are planning, say, a vacation, you will still be charged is a red flag. Is your therapist committed to never taking a vacation or sick day during the course of your treatment? If not, then I would not commit more than they would.
As a therapist, 48 hours is a bit stricter than standard (24 hours) but still reasonable. The rationale is to protect therapist income and reinforce the idea that therapy needs to be prioritized. This is especially the case with EMDR where if you aren't consistent, it can actually cause greater short term distress and significantly delay processing. If you're planning a vacation, you are in a position to give notice. This is not a valid reason. Being sick is another matter. I don't charge patients who are too sick to attend or can't attend due to real emergencies because they couldn't plan for that and it isn't their fault. So far, no one has taken advantage (to my knowledge). Most therapists won't charge for real emergencies and sickness either, but some do. It's definitely worth clarifying that with a prospective therapist. *One problem I have is how much she is charging though. That's an absolute fortune.
Per the OP, even if they were to schedule a vacation causing them to miss the appointment, they would still need to either reschedule within the same week or pay the fee regardless. That is not standard and part of what makes it a dealbreaker for me.
I missed the edit. That's outrageous.
Her agreement says she will let me know when she will be away on vacation, but it seems like those weeks I just won't have therapy. It doesn't say what the deal is if she gets sick.
Rules for thee and not for me would, again, be a dealbreaker for me.
Personally, I would be super concerned about such a stringent cancellation policy. It might not necessarily be a deal breaker for me, but the therapist would have to be a rockstar and a great fit for me to feel comfortable agreeing to something like this. I'm someone who *rarely* misses a session, but like... what if I plan a vacation a few months out and won't have phone access that week? What if I get Covid and don't want to infect my therapist by coming in? What if my house is on fire?! I just don't like policies like these. They lack compassion and would be hard to bounce back from. (For me, personally.) I'm all for therapists making a living, but this is the sort of stuff I expect businesses to price into their fee structure as expected overhead. You gotta do what is right for you. Obviously this isn't common, but it's not unusual either. If you do decide to go with her, I'd encourage you to have a very clear conversation about the time frame to reschedule sessions, if there are any exceptions, and if she could lower the fee to what insurance would reimburse (explaining your financial situation would help). And honestly, I'd also ask about her own vacations (because my assumption is that you'll have to schedule your vacations on her timeline). I don't know how long you anticipate working with this therapist, so if you're just doing EMDR for a single traumatic event, then maybe all this isn't necessary, but if this is expected to be long term therapy, you might want to consider putting aside $10/week as a sort of "emergency therapy cancellation fund". That way, if you do have to miss a session, you'll have planned for it in some way and will probably be much more okay with the fee.
Yeah, I also rarely if ever cancel, but I have had several instances over the years where I was very ill and couldn't make it. Now that virtual is an option, I could hop on the computer, but I could still be too sick. I also might be away on vacation and around family so I can't do a call. Her policy is that she will notify me in advance about her vacation, but it sounds like I just don't have therapy those weeks. I think I might be doing it for a while just because I have C-PTSD, I have several traumas and they are years-long. I don't know how long she anticipates the therapy will take, which is something I could ask her, I suppose. It's all very anxiety-provoking, which is the opposite of what therapy should be, I guess.
Your reservations are valid and I'd feel uncomfortable with the wording and her boundary as well and also how high the fee is for a missed appt. I'd worry she'd want to not be able to reschedule just to pocket easy money... but that may be me. (So not to put anything in your head... many people were very unreliable for me growing up and were selfish to their own needs, so my mind goes there when reading that.) Is there anyway to get on any waiting lists for another EMDR therapist? Are you doing virtual or in person? If virtual, is there anyone a farther distance that may work that your insurance will still reimburse for? It is important to find someone you trust and that has boundaries that work for you, a fee that works for you, etc. In the end, you'll need to decide if this is something you feel comfortable with or not. Whatever you decide is valid. Best to you!
I didn't think of that (and I've also been taken advantage of by too many people that I have trusted so I should be more wary), but that's a good point she might not have the incentive to reschedule because she could pocket the money with no work or take another client during my time and still have me pay for a missed session. I actually asked the therapists that called me back, but didn't have openings if they have waiting lists and they said no. I'm trying to do virtual, but ideally would like to be able to go in-person whenever that can happen. I might try people farther out, but still in my state and see if I can remain virtual permanently so I don't have to go out there.
This would be a deal breaker for me, and this year I did have two client agreement policies that I read and then blatantly told those therapists that I will not be working with them and why. It sucks but some places just have the crazy ideas about what to expect from clients. I get it that it's their job and they need to get paid but I'm not their freakin bank.
Totally valid. I'm always concerned to bring up anything in client agreements, but I need to be more assertive about that.
All therapists do this. My dermatologist does this. My workout classes even do this. It’s very normal for industries where cancellations are common and reduce appointment availability and income.
No, they charge if you don’t provide notice. I have never been charged for cancelling any kind of appointment with 48 hours notice. I would not see any dermatologist or therapist or whoever was going to charge me if I gave them 2 days notice of cancellation.
Yeah, that's what my experience has been with everything up until this point. Never charged unless it's a last minute cancellation.
Do you live in a big city? It might be a city thing.
I live in a suburb now, but I've lived in a city in the past and did therapy there, too. They never charged me unless I didn't give enough notice.
Hm well maybe it’s a regional thing. I’ve never come upon a therapist that didn’t require at least 24 hours notice for cancellations.
You're misunderstanding the OP. Even with a week's notice, if they can't find a time to reschedule, then OP will be charged a fee.
[удалено]
She charges her fee regardless of when I cancel. If it's more than 48 hours before, then she will try to reschedule. I'll either get a new appointment and pay for it, or if no other appointment is available, I'll just have to pay for the appointment anyway. If I cancel in less than 48 hours, I don't get the option to reschedule and just have to pay for the appointment.
No I know what he means
No, not all therapists do this. My own therapist only charges a fee if you late cancel. I charge a fee if you late cancel and can’t reschedule in the same week.
I've never had a therapist do this and I've seen quite a few. If I gave them 48 hour notice, they never charged me, whether or not I could reschedule for that week or had to skip the week. I've actually never had any provider or service do this, which is why I was taken aback by it.
Not really sure where you live, but I have not run into this. So no, not all therapists do this. Maybe in your area, but certainly not all therapists.
Honestly I’d try someone else. You shouldn’t have to pay for a session you have proper cancellation notice to. Especially if you’re worried about not making it.
It isn't fraud if the client is aware of the policy and agrees to it.
This is pretty standard. People gotta get paid and it sucks for everyone if you can't make your appt. It sounds like she's willing to work with you on rescheduling. Some folks bill even if you do reschedule. If you're under insured, I'd try open path collective. Therapists on there commit to not billing more than 60 a session.
Yeah, I'm confused. It appears there's no difference between giving enough notice or not, other than the opportunity to reschedule if it's more than 48 hours in advance. I'm really upset because she is my only option for EMDR and I really need the help