Am I being dramatic or was this a bit aggressive

[ThatKeenJadeLeader]

I have been having therapy for 6 months. Not missed a session or a payment.

I live in an area where I depend on WiFi as mobile data is awful. Went to log into my session and my Teams wouldn’t load.

Tried rebooting etc, eventually got back online after 7 minutes but the teams wouldn’t load. Don’t have the therapists number so went to send an email apologising and saying I was trying to get on and couldn’t.

Was met by an email stating she had waited on call for 5 minutes, this slot could have been used by another person in need and I’m to make full payment for the session within 5 days or she’ll pass to a debt collection agency and all future planned sessions are now cancelled.

This happened within literally 10 minutes of me trying to get online.

I replied saying I had had some slight trouble getting onto the call and just made the payment.

She then replied saying it’s fine! Did I want her to call me to use the last 30 minutes of the session. I did not.

Am I being dramatic or is this really aggressive over ten minutes. I’ve always paid and I’ve been speaking to her for 6 months.

Im really put off now and don’t want to speak to her anymore. I fully understand she has a business to run but as a client who’s been with her that long it’s a bit OTT?

Agree.

Sounds utterly bonkers. I think half the people who set themselves up as

' therapists' need help themselves. It's a case of ' physician heal thyself'. Seriously. The therapy industry in this country is well out of control . Every Tom, Dick and Harry is getting in on the act. I could tell you a hundred bloody stories ive heard from people about unskilled, shitty therapists. A great therapist is a great thing. But, god, there are some dreadful ones out there. The whole bloody industry need overhauling. Some of these people do great damage.

That's really not normal at all. The one big rule in therapy is that trust, and giving the client a sense of safety is massively important. If she doesn't understand that that email undermined all of the work that she was doing with you, then she is probably not a good therapist. I would definitely go elsewhere.

Yes report her. These types shouldn't be working.

She threatened you with debt collectors because she waited for five minutes?!

This woman is supposed to be employed in supporting the mentally vulnerable?! Fuck me.

She needs to get a new profession. Maybe she should become a debt collector seeing as she's so fond of them.

I'd consider complaining about her to whichever governing body she belongs to, or the company she's employed by. Absolutely shocking behaviour.

Debt collection? Grow up.

No...

I'm guessing she's had lots of issues with none payment so is clearly laying out her terms

I work with clients online and have just had a no-show. I sent a quick ‘calling it, hope all’s well’ email and spent the time catching up on emails. My client had a very good reason for not showing up and I’d feel terrible if I’d sent them such a threatening message.

Also, your therapist should have checked you had a second way of contacting them, that’s on her.

I hope this hasn’t put you off forever and you find a more sensitive therapist in future.

What more aggressive option did she have then a debt collection agency? And she went right to that on an payment that wasn't even late yet!

That's not the clients fault.

In what world is this a reasonable T&C?

Dreadful. She sounds AWFUL. Bin her!

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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 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.

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

Yes, this is a good idea.

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

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

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.