Why does Within Holistic Counseling have a 24-hour cancellation policy?  I want to help you understand the need for it and to clarify “the rules.”

This policy is in place to honor and protect your therapist’s income.  At WHC, your therapist is paid a percentage of the revenue their work here generates.  If you were to not show up or if you cancel late, your therapist would be here and ready to go, but he or she would not be paid anything (nor is WHC for that matter).  Many people assume that their therapist gets paid just for being here.  That is not the case.  Your therapist only gets paid when the session is paid for.  So, late cancellations are very costly to your therapist.  Imagine having a significant portion of your pay removed because of cancellations or no-shows.  The late cancellation fee is simply the normal fee for the session.  We cannot charge insurance companies or other third-party payors so you will be responsible for this fee.

We have found that when you give more than 24-hour notice, we are often able to fill that time slot with someone else so your therapist gets paid for their time. With short notice, we are unable to fill the slot.  Even if you reschedule for later in the week, your therapist loses their income from the late cancellation.  That is why we have a 24-hour cancellation policy.

The timing of the cancellation is important and can be confusing.  To keep it simple, just keep in mind that if you are canceling more than 24 hours before your next appointment, your cancellation will not be charged.  This applies during the week and on weekends.

Even with late cancellations (less than 24-hour notice), we have built-in grace and exceptions. Please talk to your therapist if you ever feel like you have been charged erroneously or wrongly.  Or please feel free to contact me, Celeste (Clinical Director), or Molly O’Brien practice manager (865-297-5077) if you have any questions about this.  We want to take good care of you and honor you as well.  Thank you for your understanding.