Am I being dramatic or was this a bit aggressive

That is aggressive and not what you need from a therapist, especially as you have been with her a long time and always been reliable. I would not continue with her if thar was me

This does sound like an automated email.
If she is using software to run the sessions it may well be a template email in which case she may well not even have seen the wording. I had a similar situation when setting up a new system. I had to go through rewording reminder emails as they were all stuffy and gave no leeway at all. I would have been mortified if one of them had reached a client but it could easily have done!
Given her response to your email, I would talk to her and find out what's going on.

I would find another therapist. I’d just be too uncomfortable speaking to her again after what happened. I once was 5 minutes late for a vet’s appointment. Our cat was notoriously difficult to put in its travel case - the vet knew this. I had started over an hour before the appointment (trying to get it in its cage) and yet only made it 5 minutes late. I was upset, sweaty, and apologetic and then got a telling off from the vet. OMG. I am never, ever late and we had gone to this vet for years. I have lost hours, days, weeks of my life waiting in waiting rooms of doctors, dentists, and this vet, too. But the ONE time I am late, I get told off? That was the last time we went to see her! Dear OP, I hope you’re ok and that you’ll find a good solution that works well for you.

I would not continue to see her as a therapist.

This.

Did I want her to call me to use the last 30 minutes of the session.

I’d have taken her up on the offer and given her a piece of my mind for 30 minutes!!!

I'm self employed. Sometimes people take a few days to pay. It's annoying, but I send a friendly reminder by text. Never would I mention debt collectors at that point - it's completely OTT.

It sounds like a standard email has been automatically sent out for non-attendance, particularly because she sent another friendly email saying it’s fine.

I would raise it with her though. Explain that you thought the email was aggressive in tone considering a one-off and see what she says.

I think some therapists get themselves so ‘boundaried’ that common sense and compassion fly out of the window. @ThatKeenJadeLeader , if you have the energy to do so I would be inclined to email her saying that you had been finding the sessions useful ( presumably that’s why you continued?) but this wording and in this situation you have simply lost all faith in your professional relationship together. That to be threatened with a debt collection agency by someone you trusted this much has caused you real distress.

Although it won’t bring back what you had it gives you the chance to tell her how you feel for one last time.

Best wishes.

Wow that email is appalling.

I would be really hurt by that OP.

I would send her an email telling her how inappropriate that message was. To send it while you were still trying to connect to the session, when there was still probably 30 minutes left is awful.

What if something terrible had happened to you or your family? Most people would be concerned rather than consider a message chasing payment.

That's terrible I would not continue with her at all after that.
You've paid for the hour she should have been sitting there available for the full hour, if someone's late they will still have to pay the full hour but only get half hour or whatever. If it's a total no show then she can send payment reminder but use of words matters especially between therapist and client.
If they just don't pay ever then you can refer to debt collection.

That’s an awful message! Does she moonlight as a payday loan lender?!

The Debt collection but is definitely aggressive! That’s something you send after several days, not minutes.

Yes, this is a good idea.

I would sent her an exactly as aggressive email cancelling any further sessions and telling her exactly why.

I think your should email her telling her the response you got was very aggressive and has shattered all trust and tou wont be dealing with her anymore.

I would also leave a review if possible so other vulnerable people know what they are getting into.

Therapy can only work if the person receiving the therapy feels comfortable with the therapist and trust them.

Would you really want to pour your feelings out to someone who has just threatened you with dept collectors, with all the ramifications that could have, after you couldn't get the, notoriously, unreliable technology to connect you thereby making you late by 5 minutes?

They have been talking for 6 months, if this sort of message is standard, maybe the therapist should think about using a non standard message.

I sincerely hope this particular 'therapist' never counsels anyone suffering with severe depression, someone who can't get out of bed to talk to anyone on one of their therapy days.

I agree.
And I think you should tell her exactly why.

Possibly this was an automatic message? It sounds as if she did not realise what had happened.

Check your contract- if she has a missed appointment clause it'll state whether you have to pay, or if there's a way to move the appointment to another time.

Pay if you have to, and have nothing else to do with her. Completely unethical to be so aggressive and threatening to your therapy client over the sake of less than 10 mins! I'd leave a review online too, that's completely inappropriate and off-putting and potential clients should be aware.

I hope you got something out of the sessions you had OP. This is disgraceful treatment.

I think it's an automatic message too. I'd forward it to her - make sure she knows what you received, and that her two very different messages are conflicting and worrying. Hopefully she'll apologise.

Well i think the op is quite clear on the terms now, I would have thought a professional therapist would have handled a situation like this a bit more leniently.

Dreadful. She sounds AWFUL. Bin her!

In what world is this a reasonable T&C?