For not wanting to pay my therapist when I was sick!!

[Anonymous2566]

So, I’ve been seeing my therapist for about a year and things are going well. I’ve been very dedicated and always attend my sessions and pay upfront. My issue is, the cancellation policy. The agreement stipulates that I must give 72 hours notice for cancellation, otherwise the full payment is due. I was sick a few weeks back and let my therapist know on the day, she wished me better, advised me to relax and then put something about the cancellation policy, but that she didn’t wish to charge me on this occasion. Again, I have been sick and had to cancel my session on the day. She sent a similar message, wishing me better etc, but this time included something like “I’m afraid this is very short notice to cancel
without charge” and then offered a reschedule, which was online and didn’t suit as I was still feeling poorly.

AIBU to not want to pay this? How could I possibly give 72 hours notice when I woke up sick?!! It’s seem a little inflexible.

I did. I got the DNA rate which is only £10 for online (it's 75% off the fee for a face to face DNA).

I'm pretty sure they do allow cancellations for some reasons.
Childbirth, Vomiting & diarrhoea for example

That's absolutely not true.

If a therapist is working to an ethical code they wouldn't be making a sick person attend an appointment, firstly because it might be detrimental to the person's health (recovery) and also because it might mean the client is not in psychological contact with the therapist (same reason you can't do therapy if someone is drunk or on drunks).

Not to mention they wouldn't expect a client to not attend to a family emergency or similar.

What about any other self employment? Plumbers, tilers, electricians, gardeners... they are also only get paid if employed.
Should it only be rich hobbyists who are self employed?

Therapists and all other self employed people deserve to earn a living, same as everyone else.

Well quite. She's got this fictitious mortgage that we've invented to pay. She might be minted for all we know and have no mortgage at all but that's irrelevant.

All I'll say is what I said - Therapy is a lifestyle business and people being ill or pretending to be so and not wanting to pay the cancellation fee is no doubt one of the pitfalls of being one. I think if you have no wiggle room as a therapist for empathy because of money then maybe taking mental load off people isn't the calling, money is. Not for profit or volunteer therapists are awesome though.

I am a totally shit business woman though and work with homeless people for a living and in my spare time so I'll accept my perspective is screwed.

@Woodenwonder for a professional psychotherapist, that's healthcare, not lifestyle.

Many healthcare professionals in a range of specialities have private practices, often in addition to work done on the NHS.

My therapy business is healthcare. I'm contracted through two healthcare providers.

I think she means you pay regardless of any situation, of course a patient can cancel for any reasons, but they are all paid for (except the therapist's holiday/sickness).

Source: am in psychoanalysis.

This she has been more than reasonable with you. On the day cancellation means she doesn't have time to add someone else into your slot. You agreed the cancellation policy now you need to pay up.

@Woodenwonder why am I unsurprised that you like volunteer therapists? Do you think other professionals should give their skilled labour for free?

Who said they didn't?

Way to extrapolate.

Well of course they do yes.

Are you paid privately by the client?

Elaborate.

I'm paid via the healthcare provider.

I asked you to elaborate, didn't I? Do you think other professionals should give their skilled labour for free?

So no, then.

Ergo, my post is not for you.

Well I'm self employed therapist with a mortgage.

And you said therapists shouldn't be self employed.

So how were you not talking to me?

Which professionals relevant to therapy and/or healthcare do you refer to or are you talking about every profession ever? In which case pull up a chair we might be here sometime 🙄

I've got time. Go for it.

Show we where I said therapists shouldn't be self-employed?

In fact don't bother, your politician's answer to how you are paid is all I need to know about how our interactions would go.

No bookings?

A politician's answer?

I'm paid via the healthcare providers I work for.

One is a health insurance company.

The other is a third sector organisation that CAMHS outsources work to.

Is that more helpful? I'm not sure what level of detail you were looking for.

Although you're correct, you didn't say I shouldn't be self-employed, I think you were trying to imply my profession is a hobby job and can't pay bills, but that's just inference on my part.

Plenty, thank you.

@Woodenwonder

Do you think anyone in a similar profession should just accept that their years of training, their professional knowledge and expertise, is just thrown to the winds of chance and they have to accept cancellations and lose their wage?

This therapist has T&Cs that the OP could have read and decided not to book sessions. The therapist waived the initial cancellation fee for sickness, but not the second. There is some charitable give and take at her discretion for the sake of maintaining a good rapport with the client. But she cannot waive every cancellation fee and just accept it as part of her line of work because she's "helping" people. It's a business too and the therapist has the right to protect her income with T&Cs.

I am an interpreter and I help communities of people who cannot access the things they need in their first language: doctors appointments, hospital appointments, dentists, legal appointments, schools, education etc etc. I work freelance providing a specialised, skilled service. I have watertight T&Cs because I need to protect my income. I turn up to a job and a client is a no-show? 100% fee. I have a 48 hour 100% fee for cancellations.

You're living in a fantasy land if you think the therapist is doing anything wrong. People can argue the toss about 48 hours vs 72 hours, but her T&Cs are there for her clients to accept or reject.