If we decide to work together, we’ll pick a weekly hour that I will reserve just for your family, out into the foreseeable future. For as long as you want to continue our work together, you’ll pay your session fee every week, even if you cancel or see me at a different time.
Because emergencies, vacations, gymnastics competitions, last minute sleepovers, school plays, and other things will come up, I encourage families to reschedule any missed appointment within a 3-week window: the week before, the week of, or the week after you miss. This will sometimes create a “2-session week,” either before or after your absence. (If you have ever enrolled your child in extracurriculars, you’ll recognize this system—it’s basically like scheduling a “make up” session.)
It doesn’t have to be an emergency; you can reschedule for any reason, last minute, or even after-the-fact. You’ll be able to see my calendar with my available openings online and request to move your session with just a few convenient clicks, any time, day or night. I always reserve a few hours in my calendar just for rescheduling, so there will be a little wiggle room on my end, but if your family’s schedule is really, really tight, you’ll basically prepare to pay for sessions you miss.
Every calendar year I give each family 2 “freebies”: These are appointments you can cancel without rescheduling or paying the weekly fee. Because, well. . . life happens!
Obviously, if I need to cancel our appointment, like if I’m at a training, on vacation, or out sick, those sessions you won’t be responsible for rescheduling.
So to recap, I agree to reserve your weekly hour, just for your family. You’ll agree to pay your session fee each week. For added flexibility:
You can reschedule any session you miss within a 3-week window, using a convenient online calendar
Twice a year, you can cancel outright, and I’ll waive your fee
Why don’t you have a 24 hour cancellation policy?
I want help your child thrive as soon as possible! Frequent cancellations greatly interrupt the momentum of treatment. When we meet less than weekly, we spend so much time catching up, it’s hard to get traction on your goals or move forward. When I waive fees, that makes it easier for parents to cancel sessions here and there, when life inevitably comes up. Ultimately, this “helps” your child stay stuck. I don’t want to enable that!
Waiving session fees (due to cancellations) also makes it impossible for me to predict my income, resulting in either financial stress or an over-booked calendar for me. This would mean less emotional availability for you and a therapist who is frazzled and resentful. Not good.
I want to show up as bright and shiny as possible for your family, and for my own! Flexible rescheduling helps me do that.
Will flexible rescheduling work well for my family?
Flexible rescheduling works well for parents who are excited to work together in a dedicated, intense, but relatively short-term way. It works well for families who have a bit of flexibility in their calendar to reschedule when something comes up. It can also be helpful for parents who want a little extra accountability to stay the course and prioritize this work.
It isn't a great match for families who want to vary the consistency of their sessions (meet 0-4 times per month) or for parents who want the option to cancel more than twice a year without paying a fee. In those cases, a practice with a 24-hour cancellation policy is a probably better fit.
