Cancellations and rescheduling

The policy

• More than 24 hours notice: no charge. Reschedule to another time whenever suits.
• Less than 24 hours notice: the full session fee is charged.
• Not arriving: the full session fee is charged.
• Arriving late: the session still finishes at the scheduled time, because the next person is booked. The full fee applies.

Why it exists

When a session is booked, that time is held for you and not offered to anybody else. With less than a day's notice it almost never gets filled, and the practice only runs a limited number of sessions each week, so an empty slot is a real cost rather than a theoretical one.

It is also worth naming that avoidance is part of counselling. There will be weeks where you do not want to come, and those are frequently the most useful sessions. A cancellation fee is a small piece of structure that makes it easier to turn up on the days that are hard.

Genuine emergencies

Illness, a family emergency, a crash on the motorway. Tell me and the fee will not be charged. I am not going to invoice you for having a bad day, and I would rather you were honest than invented a reason.

If cancellations start forming a pattern, I will raise it with you, not to tell you off, but because a pattern of avoidance is usually worth talking about.

If I have to cancel

I will give you as much notice as I can and offer the first available alternative time. If I cancel on you at short notice, your next session is free. That cuts both ways, and it should.

How to cancel

Text or call 021 0232 4389, or email [email protected]. A text is completely fine and you do not need to explain yourself. The timestamp on the message is what counts for the 24 hours.