When discussing cancellation/no show fees, the number one barrier I see is this mindset:
“But if they don’t show up, I’m charging them when I’m not even doing anything! That’s so unfair/awkward/gross/etc.”
I want to challenge this thinking. Because cancellation/no show fees are not charging people for “doing nothing”. You didn’t actually “do nothing”. How so? Well, think about it. You have:
spent 4 years getting a Bachelor’s degree
spent 2-3 years getting a Master’s degree
worked for thousands of hours to earn and maintain your license
spent time and money on continuing education/training
used gas and your car (which you pay for) to drive to your office to see them
or, used internet and your computer (which you pay for) to log on to see them virtually
set aside an hour of your day for that client, which leaves it unavailable for other clients, or your own personal/professional needs
used your knowledge & skills to prepare for that session/plan how you might help that client (i.e. psychoeducation, coping skills, trauma processing, etc)
The same logic applies when you set your rates. The next time you think, “man, is an hour of my time really worth that much?”, remember that it’s not just those 60 minutes you’re charging for. Your hourly rates are based on your:
Education
Expertise/Training/Specialization
Experience in the field
Cost of living/inflation
Business expenses/profit margins
Market rate in your area
All of that factors into your hourly rate. It’s not pretty, but that’s the honest truth.
People will only value you as much as you value yourself. Do you want them to look at therapy as an optional ‘if I feel like it’ thing, and treat you as disposable? Or do you want them to invest in themselves, take it seriously, and respect what you have to offer? Do you want them to look at it as “just sitting there listening to someone”? Or do you want people to acknowledge and honor the amount of time, effort, energy, and education it takes to offer this service?
Change is an uphill battle. Insurance companies aren’t paying us more, and often pay us less over time. Large corporations and nonprofits continue to pay therapists pennies on the dollar compared to what they’re worth. No one is going to make things better for us, so we have to do so ourselves. And the first step toward that is standing firm in our value, rather than letting others dictate it for us.
Great read and good reminder, thank you!