Cancelling your therapy session.

My commitment to you as my client is my time to work together on what has brought you to my services; my time is reserved for you in a consistent and ongoing way until we agree to make a change to our commitment, or finish our work together. Cancelling this dedicated time can have a number of impacts - read more about them here.

The impacts of cancelling

There are a number of impacts associated with cancelling our scheduled therapy sessions, which are related to you, us, me, and other clients.

You.

Committing to therapy is tough work. And there are days when making an ongoing appointment may be tougher than others. Many things can feel like they get in the way – work, children, lack of sleep, traffic, sickness… the list goes on. But in order to gain the benefits of therapy, attendance is necessary and must be consistent, and a priority.

Me.

As a small business owner, a session that is not attended has a direct impact on me as I do not get paid if a session is not paid for. As such, my business model protects me from the impact of late cancellations or non-attendance through a cancellation fee charged if you cancel within 48 hours, to ensure that running my own business is feasible.

Providing me with more notice than 48 hours does not always mean that I will be able to fill that spot, and so multiple cancellations - despite the amount of notice provided - means that it becomes unfeasible for me to continue holding space for you if the spot is not attended consistently.

Us.

Due to the impact of non-attendance on me and our work together, not attending your scheduled appointment/s can lead to a negative impact on our therapeutic relationship, which may mean that I am unable to provide you with ongoing services.

Other clients.

Most people that enquire about my services will be placed on a waitlist. When you do not attend a session, this represents a session that could have been offered to another client. If you do not attend multiple sessions, this may mean that your timeslot may have been better placed with another client who is waiting to see me on an ongoing basis. A non-attended appointment means a missed opportunity for someone who may be in need of support.

Cancelling multiple upcoming appointments

When you make a commitment to attend an ongoing appointment time with me, my commitment to you is that I reserve this time specifically and only for you, with the expectation that you will attend this appointment time on an ongoing basis.

If you cancel multiple sessions despite the amount of notice provided, this may mean that we need to revisit your commitment to therapy (with the exception of planned leave due to holidays).

If you wish to continue to use my services but are unable to attend your ongoing timeslot, let’s have a discussion about what you are able to commit to and create a new plan moving forward.

Cancelling within 48 hours (or not attending your scheduled appointment)

My 48-hour cancellation policy is intended for unforeseen circumstances only: cancellations due to all other reasons should be made with as much notice as possible.

I charge a cancellation fee equivalent to the session fee if you do not attend a scheduled session, and if you cancel within the 48 hours preceding the scheduled appointment time.

I do understand that life does truly get in the way sometimes, and so I offer a couple of options for last minute cancellations: the ability to change our appointment to telehealth, and if a mutually suitable time can be found within the same calendar week, I am happy to move you to that time.

In summary

• If committing in a consistent way to an ongoing time to work on what has brought you to my services is not do-able or has become less do-able over time, let’s discuss the barriers to attending, consider changing our mutual commitment, and if necessary, consider other options or other services that may be more appropriate for you.

• Please provide as much notice as possible for known cancellations that you need to make in advance, to minimise the impact of the cancellation on me.

• Please only cancel with 48 hours notice when this is truly unavoidable and due to unforeseen circumstances. The 48-hour window is not meant as a decision point as to whether you wish to keep the appointment or not: approaching appointments in this way is not feasible for me, and I will suggest we discontinue our commitment if this occurs; my services are suited to those who are ready and able to commit to work on their difficulties.

• If you cannot attend an appointment last-minute, please consider the option to switch to Telehealth. You will be charged for sessions cancelled or not attended within 48 hours of the scheduled appointment.

I feel honoured to work with you, and it is my pleasure to commit my time to you to work on what has brought you to my services. However, this commitment needs to be fulfilled for it to be worthwhile for me as well. Please consider all of the above when making and upholding your commitment to us working on your difficulties.