(Transcribed by TurboScribe.ai. Go Unlimited to remove this message.) Welcome to Ask Allison. Y'all ask the questions about having a fun and thriving practice and I answer them. We have a worksheet for you today so you can bring this answer into your life. You can access that at abundancepracticebuilding.com slash links where you'll also be able to ask any questions you have for Ask Allison. If you want more support, we've got some free trainings in there too.
If you can't get enough Ask Allison, check out our YouTube channel for our entire Ask Allison library. Welcome back to Ask Allison. Here is today's question. How can I create and confidently enforce a no-show and late cancellation policy that balances clear boundaries with compassion for my clients? This is a juicy one, right? This is like a place where a lot of therapists will get into arguments on Facebook groups. Before I dive in, I want to thank Therapy Notes for sponsoring Ask Allison.
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All right, so whether you're unsure about your policy, what it should be, or you're struggling to enforce it, I am here to help and we're going to break it down into two parts, deciding on the policy and then following through with it. So what should your policy be? If you are not sure what your no -show or late cancellation policy should look like, here are some key points to consider. First, treat your practice like a business. Write your policy as if your practice is full.
Picture clients wanting to see you, but they're unable to get an appointment because of last -minute cancellations. Your policy should reflect the value of your time and your availability. Next, I want you to avoid punishment and focus on boundaries. A no-show policy isn't about punishing clients, it's about setting and maintaining boundaries. I want you to make it clear, I want you to make it firm, and I want you to make it compassionate.
I want to also reiterate that as therapists, it is our job to model boundary setting and boundary maintenance. So keep that in mind when we're talking about this. I also want you to script your policy. So it's going to be in your informed consent, it's going to be in your financial agreement, it's going to be in the paperwork that our clients don't usually read. So I want you to have this script that you can do for the very first session. I want you to use the script in your first session.
If you need to cancel a session, please do so at least blank number of hours in advance. Blank could be 24, 48, 72, you tell me. If you cancel within 24 hours or you don't show up, you're going to be charged the full session fee of, insert your fee here. If I can fill your spot, I won't charge you. I'll use the card I have on file to process the fee at the time of the missed session. Do you have any questions about this policy?
Most clients do not have questions about this policy, but if they do, reiterate that this policy ensures fairness for everyone who wants access to your services. I also put in there as a mom of a kid who is often sick and as somebody who has an auto immune disorder, I will often say if you are sick or if your kid is sick, I do not charge you, but I do ask that you communicate with me as soon as you can. That doesn't work for everybody.
I want you to think about your policy and what works for you in your sessions and your clients in your business. All right, let's talk about how to enforce it, which is actually the harder part. First, I want you to clearly communicate upfront, right? That first session, it is the best way to avoid awkwardness by talking about it in that first session.
Sneaking it into the fine print of your informed consent and avoiding the conversation might seem easier in the moment, but it's going lead to confusion, it's going to lead to mistrust, and you're going to have clients leave because the first time you charge them, which you're going to because you're going to hold your boundaries, if they didn't know you were going to do that because you didn't verbally communicate it, they just signed all the paperwork, they're
going to leave because you've kind of done them dirty. Next, I want you to model boundaries. As therapists, we help clients set healthy boundaries, right? Enforcing your own is an opportunity to model the skill. If you set a policy, it is your responsibility to follow through. It messes up your clients when you don't follow through on your boundaries. Next, I want you to expect discomfort. Charging for a no-show or late cancellation can feel uncomfortable sometimes, but you can handle it.
You have dealt with much worse. So remember, it is not about being punitive, it's about maintaining professional boundaries and ensuring fairness. Let's talk about exceptions because those are going to come up. Inconsistency holding the policy could be a problem from an ethics standpoint, so I'll say that it is really important to set policies you'll actually hold.
If you know you're not going to charge the full fee, you just know you're not, maybe you could do $50, but you're not going to charge the full fee, then make your policy $50. Life happens. It is okay to waive a fee for emergencies like illness or accidents or whatever else you deem an emergency, but be really clear on the front end what that is. Lastly, when a no-show occurs, approach it with curiosity in the next session.
Explore if there's a therapeutic issue behind the missed appointment, but always come from a space of support and not a space of judgment. So having a clear no-show policy and sticking to it is a really important part of running your practice. It protects your time, it models healthy boundaries, and it ensures fairness for all your clients. Today's free worksheet is policies to consider in your practice.
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All right, y'all, I hope you have a really great day and I'll talk to you later. If you're ready for a much easier practice, TherapyNotes is the way to go. Go to therapynotes.com and use the promo code ABUNDANT for two months free. I hope that helped. If you have questions for Ask Allison or you want to get your hands on the worksheet for this episode, go to abundancepracticebuilding.com slash links. If you're listening, you probably need some support building your practice.
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