No Shows and Late Cancellations
One of the questions I see pop up most often in the Abundance Practice-Builders Facebook Group (feel free to join) and in day-to-day questions I get from private practitioners is how to handle last minute cancellations and no-shows. I put these questions in two camps: the I-don’t-know-what-my-policy-should-be camp and the I-don’t-know-how-to-enforce-my-policy camp. Let’s talk about both.
What Should My Policy Be?
For the most part, you get to decide what your policy is. If you’re on insurance panels, read your contract thoroughly. They may dictate whether or not you can charge your clients for no shows and late cancellations. That sucks. If you aren’t on insurance panels or the panels you’re on give you free reign, I want you to consider a few important points in determining your policy.
Some people do a one no show or late cancellation freebie. I don’t. If my client calls and is sick, their kid is sick, or they were in an accident on the way to session I waive the fee. In my opinion it’s totally reasonable to waive the fee for these things.
If someone does no show I make sure we talk about it in the next session to see if it’s a relevant therapeutic issue. Again, not from a place of shaming or punishing, from a place of curiosity and support.
How Do I Enforce My Policy?
It’s A LOT easier, and more fair, if you do the verbal explaining on the front end. Here are a couple things to think about that may help you maintain your boundary:
What trips you up the most with no shows? What’s your policy? Let us know in the comments.
Allison Puryear is an LCSW with a nearly diagnosable obsession with business development. She has started practices in three different states and wants you to know that building a private practice is shockingly doable when you have a plan and support. After retiring her individual consultation services, she opened the Abundance Party, where you can get practice-building help for the cost of a copay. You can download a free private practice checklist to make sure you have your ducks in a row, get weekly private practice tips, listen to the podcast, hop into the free Facebook Group. Allison is all about helping you gain the confidence and tools you need to succeed.
What Should My Policy Be?
For the most part, you get to decide what your policy is. If you’re on insurance panels, read your contract thoroughly. They may dictate whether or not you can charge your clients for no shows and late cancellations. That sucks. If you aren’t on insurance panels or the panels you’re on give you free reign, I want you to consider a few important points in determining your policy.
- You are running a business. I want you to decide on your no show and late cancellation policy as if your practice is full. There will come a time when you are packed and have clients who want to see you but couldn’t squeeze into your busy week. Write your policy with this in mind.
- The policy is not meant to be punitive. I don’t believe in punishing or shaming clients under any circumstances. There is a distinct difference between coming from a place of punishment and coming from a place of boundary setting and maintenance.
Some people do a one no show or late cancellation freebie. I don’t. If my client calls and is sick, their kid is sick, or they were in an accident on the way to session I waive the fee. In my opinion it’s totally reasonable to waive the fee for these things.
If someone does no show I make sure we talk about it in the next session to see if it’s a relevant therapeutic issue. Again, not from a place of shaming or punishing, from a place of curiosity and support.
How Do I Enforce My Policy?
It’s A LOT easier, and more fair, if you do the verbal explaining on the front end. Here are a couple things to think about that may help you maintain your boundary:
- Remember that as the therapist, you are responsible for modeling boundaries. Remembering this has been invaluable not only as a clinician but as a business woman. So, if you set a policy, it is your duty to follow it. Yes, policies can change, but don’t change them simply because you’re not great a boundary maintenance. If it’s a growth edge for you, commit to working on that.
- You can sneak your financial policy in the informed consent and just let them sign it even though nobody reads it all. You can avoid the conversation. Here’s what will happen: the first time you try to enforce this boundary, your client will be confused. You will show them where they signed the consent. You will feel shady. They will pay the fee or try to negotiate with you. They may feel betrayed. It will impact your work together. Alternatively, you will feel too weird enforcing the policy so you won’t. Let’s avoid this dynamic. In your first session, after describing limits of confidentiality and any other intro to therapy spiel you have, tell them your policy in a matter of fact way. (see above). The first few times you may feel uncomfortable bringing up money in the first session. Money is a part of their experience with this; avoiding the uncomfortable experience of owning that isn’t great modeling for clients. We invite them to share very intimate, hard things in their lives. If they can tell you these vulnerable things, you can say the thing that’s hard for you around money.
What trips you up the most with no shows? What’s your policy? Let us know in the comments.
Allison Puryear is an LCSW with a nearly diagnosable obsession with business development. She has started practices in three different states and wants you to know that building a private practice is shockingly doable when you have a plan and support. After retiring her individual consultation services, she opened the Abundance Party, where you can get practice-building help for the cost of a copay. You can download a free private practice checklist to make sure you have your ducks in a row, get weekly private practice tips, listen to the podcast, hop into the free Facebook Group. Allison is all about helping you gain the confidence and tools you need to succeed.
Categories
- Mindset (90)
- Practice-Building (35)
- Self-care (42)
- Blogging (31)
- Marketing (44)
- Uncategorized (27)
- Ask Allison (6)
- Getting Started (21)
- fee (3)
- raising rates (1)
- rates (4)
- cash pay (4)
- private pay (17)
- self pay (4)
- Referrals (4)
- Websites (21)
- Fees (9)
- Money (26)
- Insurance (10)
- intake paperwork (1)
- new client (2)
- paperwork (1)
- first steps (1)
- burned out (1)
- exhausted (1)
- scared (1)
- marketing 2 niches (1)
- niche (20)
- two niches (1)
- abundance (1)
- resources (1)
- scarcity mindset (4)
- Getting Referrals (24)
- SEO (8)
- Nuts & Bolts (46)
- Private Practice (71)
- Work-Life Balance (17)
- Business (16)
- money mistakes (5)
- private practice money mistakes (4)
- Social Media (19)
- counselors (19)
- ethical treatment (2)
- social workers (12)
- therapists (30)
- victims (5)
- comparison (4)
- counseling (39)
- how long to build (3)
- Group Practice (8)
- grad school (2)
- counseling niche (7)
- private practice niche (5)
- therapy niche (3)
- balance (25)
- entrepreneur (32)
- therapy (29)
- Brew Your Practice (25)
- Jane Carter (5)
- Joe Sanok (5)
- counselor (21)
- hustle (2)
- jeff walker (2)
- launch (1)
- launching (3)
- psychologist (19)
- psychology (16)
- social work (13)
- husband (2)
- partners (3)
- spouse (2)
- wife (3)
- multiple streams of income (2)
- passive income (2)
- Client-related Trauma (1)
- client trauma (3)
- healing (1)
- past experiences (14)
- Abundance Practice Building (22)
- Allison Puryear (19)
- blog (16)
- jeff hardesty (1)
- Mission Statements (1)
- Wendy Williams LCSW (1)
- Bloom Counseling and Counsulting (1)
- Lauren Woodward LCSW (1)
- Melvin Varghese (1)
- podcasting (1)
- Selling the Couch Podcast (1)
- The Healthcasters (1)
- Jeff Guenther (1)
- suicide (1)
- money mindset (2)
- Malpractice Insurance (1)
- Business-Building (4)
- Strategizing (7)
- conscious entrepreneurship (1)
- fear (1)
- online marketing (2)
- Building a Support System (7)
- Guest Post (6)
- Abundance Mind-Set (7)
- HIPAA (1)
- Home Life (2)
- Content (4)
- imposter (1)
- website (4)
- grouppractice (1)
- privatepay (1)
- policy (1)
- diversity (1)
- inclusion (1)
- grief (1)
- processing (1)
- clients (1)
- content creation (2)
- businesspartners (1)
- LPC (1)
- books (1)
- finances (6)
- get started (2)
- influencer (1)
- socialmedia (1)
- therapist (2)
- tiktok (1)
- askallison (3)
- privatepracticeprep (1)
- AAPI (1)
- advocacy (1)
- community (1)
- allisonpuryear (1)
- converting (2)
- gettingclients (1)
- newclients (1)
- client paperwork (1)
- onboarding (1)
- supervision (4)
- supervisor (2)
- next steps (3)
- burnout (7)
- burnoutprevention (1)
- motivation (2)
- stayingmotivated (1)
- pre-license (1)
- prep (1)
- life coach (1)
- scarcity (1)
- copywriting (2)
- instagram (2)
- network (1)
- referral (2)
- clinical outcomes (1)
- agency (4)
- transition (2)
- ableism (1)
- gaslighting (1)
- medical neglect (1)
- broke (1)
- new year (1)
- elliott connie (1)
- sfbt (1)
- website copy (1)
- culture (1)
- getting clients (3)
- transitioning (2)
- raising your rates (1)
- imposter syndrome (2)
- trans (1)
- trauma (1)
- expanding (1)
- online (1)
- telehealth (2)
- virtual (2)
- life coaches (1)
- first phone call (1)
- getting off insuraance (1)
- ethics (2)
- muslim therapists (1)
- consultation calls to clients (1)
- converting clients (3)
- divorce (1)
- ideal client (6)
- religion (2)
- changing niche (1)
- niche anxiety (1)
- consultation (3)
- scheduling (1)
- diy seo (1)
- Podcast (71)
- agency to private practice (3)
- hours (1)
- flow (1)
- slowing down (1)
- time management (1)
- work/life balance (3)
- cost of marketing (1)
- specificity (1)
- cost (1)
- outside collaboration (1)
- school consultation (1)
- boundaries (1)
- systems (2)
- name (1)
- money management (1)
- broad niche (1)
- capitalism (1)
- maternity leave (1)
- starting a family (1)
- starting private practice (1)
- when to start (1)
- sex (2)
- sex therapist (2)
- Abundant Voices (1)
- monogamy (1)
- raising rate (2)
- days (1)
- schedule (3)
- wellness center (1)
- networking (7)
- social (1)
- hobbies (1)
- decorating (1)
- office (2)
- office space (1)
- distracted (1)
- neurodivergent (1)
- judaism (1)
- clinical consultation groups (1)
- groups (2)
- budgeting (1)
- financial (6)
- retreat (1)
- getting off insurance (1)
- ads (1)
- advertising (1)
- sessions (1)
- group (1)
- deaf culture (1)
- money guilt (1)
- sexual freedom (1)
- new clients (1)
- full practice (1)
- accountability (1)
- emdr (1)
- rural (1)
- cancellation policy (2)
- marketing (2)
- live video (1)
- video marketing (1)
- transitioning to private practice (2)
- gender & sexuality (1)
- theoretical orientation (1)
- getting unstuck (1)
- legal (1)
- parenthood (1)
- self-discipline (1)
- hiring (3)
- clinical work (1)
- accessibility (1)
- coaching (2)
- party dip (1)
- client's death (1)
- children (1)
- substance abuse (1)
- technology (1)
- ketamine (1)
- fired (1)
9 comments
Leave a comment
Please log in or register to post a comment