Cancelling Appointments

It's time to say something about appointments and cancellation fees. Personally if I miss any doctor appointments I have to pay a $40 cancellation fee. It is pretty standard. They typically want 24 hours notice . They usually charge me at my next appointment before they will see me again. Now keep in mind that these are large doctors offices that literally make millions of dollars a year. These offices have receptionists, and pay multiple employees to manage patient information.

A typical counselors practice makes a small fraction of what a physician makes and usually only supports one personal income. We do not usually have a lot of staff around to take phone calls and change appointments during the day, much less a rented office space. I find it necessary to have 48 hours in which to fill the empty hour due to a cancellation. Often the time slot is not filled and there is an hour lost forever. Counselors use technology to do alot of things, but usually handle this personally.

No matter where you receive counseling, be aware that a late cancellation directly affects the clinicians income. If your counselor has a cancellation policy in which there is a fee, please be kind and understand that this is a part of life. Your counselor really cares. Thats why we chose this line of work.