Clients are informed of this policy at the time of booking and acknowledge they need to pay a late cancellation or reschedule fee when filling in their initial consult information sheet. They will receive a text message 72 hours prior to their appointment which also reminds them of their appointment. They will receive a second text message with a reminder of their appointment.
Aim:
The aim of this policy is:
To reduce disruptions to the psychotherapist’s diary and loss of the psychotherapist’s time in preparation because of clients late cancellations, late rescheduled, and missed appointments.
Make sure that other clients do not miss out on the opportunity to access therapy.
Reduce the income loss as a direct result of client cancellations, late rescheduled, and missed appointments. We are a private practice, therefore if a client cancels or reschedules late or does not arrive for their scheduled appointment the psychotherapist loses income.
To reduce the level of late cancellations, late rescheduled, and missed appointments.
Policy Rationale
Sometimes there are good reasons for cancelling or rescheduling appointments. However, unlike brief medical appointments, it is impracticable to fill a psychotherapy appointment that runs for 50 minutes at short notice. If several clients are late in cancelling, rescheduling, or missing their appointments in one day, then the practice loses a large amount of income. Imagine if a salaried employee was told they would only receive half of their salary for that day. If you consider the situation in these terms, as well as the overhead costs associated with private practice, then you can understand why we must charge a cancellation fee for late cancellations, late rescheduled appointments, and missed appointments.
If for some reason you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment, please allow a minimum of 24 business hours’ notice, i.e. call, SMS, or email prior to 9.00 am the day before your appointment; if your appointment is at 9.00 am on a Monday, you must cancel prior to 12.00 pm on Friday prior, otherwise, you will incur a fee. Cancellation fees will be calculated at 100% of the regular session fee for appointments cancelled within 24 business hours or no-show appointments.
** New Clients: A 100% deposit (NON-REFUNDABLE) is required to secure your booking **
** NDIS Clients – Late cancellation fees are charged at 100% as per NDIS guidelines **
You should note that calling is the most effective way to ensure we receive appropriate notice. You are welcome to leave a message outside of business hours if it is before the cancellation deadline. (Please do not call after 5.00 pm on a Friday and leave a message to cancel an appointment scheduled for Monday as you will incur the cancellation fee).
Please note that while we endeavour to remind you of your appointments through SMS reminders, these should not be relied upon and it is your responsibility to remember the appointments you have made.
Cancellation fees are payable on the phone at the time of cancellation, or will be directly charged to the encrypted credit card account details stored, or invoiced. Outstanding accounts (maximum terms = 7 days) will be referred for debt collection and will incur an 18% + GST debt collection fee.
** PLEASE NOTE: NO FUTURE APPOINTMENTS CAN BE BOOKED IF YOU HAVE AN OUTSTANDING ACCOUNT **
**IMPORTANT NOTE: Please be aware that a maximum of three session reschedules is permitted. If a third session is rescheduled, your fee will be refunded immediately, and any future appointments will need to be reassessed. To resume therapy, a commitment to 10 sessions with full payment in advance will be required to secure your place and ensure steady, meaningful progress.**
Our cancellation policy is based on the same rationale as many other industries, one example being the airline industry, where you pay for your seat whether you arrive at the airport or not. Given that the time has been set aside for you if you do not use it, then it is unlikely at short notice it can be used by anyone else. We trust you will agree that this is a fair and reasonable policy and we thank you for your understanding.
A late cancellation, late rescheduled appointment, or failure to attend your appointment is a loss to three people:
1. The client who is delaying their therapy progress
2. Another client who has been sitting on the waiting list to see the psychotherapist urgently
3. The psychotherapist who spent time preparing for the session, set aside the time in their calendar and lost income.
Please, therefore, ensure that you attend your appointments!
(The Office of Fair Trading states that a business is within its rights to charge a cancellation or “no-show” fee for appointments, so long as this has been communicated to a new patient or customer before making the appointment.)
