top of page
Sunlight _edited_edited.jpg

Cancellation & Missed Appointment Policy

It is important to remember that mental health counseling is treatment.  As such, you and your counselor will work collaboratively to develop a treatment plan and identify the frequency at which treatment should occur.  Treatment for mental health related issues requires consistency and reliability.  This is why your scheduled time is reserved for you only and set to recur on the same day, at the same time, and at the frequency agreed upon between you and the therapist.

It is important to understand that health insurance companies pay for services rendered and do not cover policy fees incurred by the client.  Cancelling an appointment in advance allows the therapist to schedule an existing client who cannot make their regular appointment, or allows the therapist to make changes on the day of a client cancellation to create max efficiency for her schedule.
 
Also, due to the nature of the therapeutic relationship, the therapist cannot schedule a new client in a cancellation spot.  The new client would have to be put on a waitlist upon the regular client's return.  This would destroy any therapeutic trust gained with the new client and cause the new client to feel abandoned, making future therapy with this client tenuous.
 
When the above is taken into consideration, this means that cancellations ultimately result in a loss of income.  Because of this, more than two consecutive cancellations will result in a discussion about frequency of treatment, changing the day and time of a recurring appointment, or possible termination.

It is important to understand that these fees exist for the following reasons:
  • To encourage clients to attend their appointments as evidence based practices require
  • To hold clients accountable to maintain records of their scheduled appointments and make cancellations ahead of time as needed
  • To secure the livelihood of the therapist as kept appointments are the only source of income

  • Cancellations made with less than 24 hours notice will incur a full session fee of $200 to be paid out-of-pocket and charged to the card on file by your next session, or within 7 days, whichever is soonest

    • If the cancelled-appointment can be rescheduled and kept within the same week, the late-cancellation fee is waived​

​

  • Missed appointments without notification (no-shows) will incur a full session fee of $200 to be paid out-of-pocket and charged to the card on file by your next session, or within 7 days, whichever is soonest

    • One no-show does not cancel future recurring appointments.  If there is no contact between client and therapist, the expectation remains that the client will attend their next scheduled appointment

    • If a second consecutive no-show occurs, this incurs another missed appointment fee of $200 to be paid out-of-pocket and charged to the card on file within 7 days

    • Two consecutive no-shows, with no contact from a client, will result in cancellation of all future recurring appointments and termination from the therapist's caseload

​

  • If needed, a payment plan can be discussed

    • If paying a late cancellation fee in installments, while also continuing your regular treatment schedule, the installment payment will be in addition to your co-pay, co-insurance, or deductible​

​

  • Cancellations and the Client Portal: The portal will allow a client to cancel appointments whose start time is more than 24 hours.  The portal does not allow appointments to be cancelled with less than 24 hours before the start time.  It will prompt the client to call or email the therapist.  Texts are accepted as well.

​

  • IMPORTANT: When two consecutive appointments are cancelled, the client is at risk of losing their recurring appointment time and may be terminated from the therapist's caseload.  This usually indicates a decreased need for therapy, whether due to progress or life circumstances, or the current day/time no longer works for the client's schedule.  In this case, the therapist will remind the client of this policy and discuss adjustments to the recurring appointment or the continued need for treatment.

bottom of page