session fee policy
Clients are informed of this policy at the time of booking and acknowledge the need to pay a session fee when filling in their initial consult information sheet. They will receive a text message 72 hours prior to their appointment which also reminds them of their appointment.
This policy outlines our commitment to your therapeutic process and the importance of consistent engagement.
When you schedule a session, that time slot is reserved exclusively for you. This dedicated time is a commitment to your personal growth and the therapeutic work we undertake together.
We understand that unforeseen circumstances can arise. To support your consistency while offering flexibility, we provide alternative session options, including telehealth appointments and phone check-ins. These options are designed to ensure you can still engage with your process even when an in-person session isn't possible.
Our session fee policy is not punitive. Instead, it reflects the understanding that meaningful change and progress in therapy are built upon consistent engagement. Your commitment to attending scheduled sessions, whether in person or via an alternative option, is a commitment to your own well-being and the achievement of your therapeutic goals.
Why Your Commitment Matters: The Clinical Reality
From our perspective as your therapists, we see firsthand how your commitment to your sessions directly impacts your progress and the quality of care we can provide:
✅ Your Commitment Fuels Your Progress When you commit to your scheduled therapy sessions, you’re telling yourself that your well-being is a priority. This commitment often leads to more consistent attendance, which builds momentum in your therapeutic journey and ultimately results in better outcomes for you. We see clients who prioritize their sessions make more significant and lasting changes.
✅ Healthy Boundaries Build Trust Our time and energy are valuable, just like yours. By upholding our session fee policy, we're modelling the self-respect and accountability that many clients are working towards in their own lives. This creates a foundation of clear boundaries and mutual respect, which is essential for a trusting and effective therapeutic relationship.
✅ Ensuring We Can Bring Our Best to You When sessions are frequently cancelled last minute or rescheduled, it means we might have to carry a larger caseload to sustain the practice. A larger caseload can increase our emotional load. By committing to your reserved time slots, you help us manage our capacity effectively, allowing us to be well-rested and bring our best focus and energy to every one of your sessions. This ensures you receive the high-quality care you deserve.
Aim:
This policy is in place for a few important reasons, all aimed at ensuring we can provide the best possible support to you and all our clients:
Maximising Your Access to Care: By reducing late cancellations, reschedules, and missed appointments, we ensure that our psychologists' valuable time is used effectively. This also means that other clients who are waiting for appointments have a better chance to access the therapy they need.
Supporting Our Practice: As a private practice, our psychologists' income directly depends on scheduled appointments. When sessions are cancelled late, rescheduled last minute, or missed, it directly impacts our ability to maintain the practice and continue offering our services. This policy helps us reduce the financial impact of these disruptions.
Encouraging Consistency: Ultimately, this policy aims to encourage consistent attendance. We've seen that when there's a clear commitment, clients are more likely to prioritize their therapy, which leads to more consistent engagement and, in turn, better therapeutic outcomes for you.
Policy Rationale
We understand that sometimes things come up, and you might need to cancel or reschedule. However, unlike brief medical appointments, a 50-minute psychology session is nearly impossible to fill at short notice.
Think of it this way: if a salaried employee was told they would only receive half their pay for a day, it would be a significant impact. Similarly, if several clients cancel late, reschedule, or miss their appointments in one day, it creates a substantial loss of income for our practice. When you consider this alongside the significant overhead costs of running a private practice (like rent, administrative support, assessments and professional development), you can see why we must charge a session fee for late cancellations, late reschedules, and missed appointments. This ensures our practice remains sustainable and available to support you.
Please Note: Medicare or private health insurance rebates do not apply to session fees incurred due to late cancellations, late reschedules, or missed appointments.
For WorkCover/Motor Vehicle Accident Claimants: It's important to be aware that not all insurers cover the session fee incurred due to cancelled appointments. In such cases, you may be charged the session fee directly where your insurer doesn't cover it. In some instances where they do cover it, a missed session might still be deducted from your allocated number of sessions.
Important Information
Please provide a minimum of 48 business hours' notice if you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment.
How to Notify Us: Call or email us by 9:00 AM, 48 business hours before your scheduled appointment.
Example: For a 9:15 AM Monday appointment, you must cancel by 9:15 AM on the preceding Thursday.
Session Fees: A fee of 100% of the regular session cost will apply to appointments cancelled/rescheduled within 48 business hours of the scheduled appointment or for no-shows.
Do NOT text to cancel. Text messages are not a reliable form of cancellation and may lead to a session fee charge for late cancellation/late reschedule or no show.
** New Clients: A 100% deposit (NON-REFUNDABLE) is required to secure your booking **
** NDIS Clients - Session fees are charged at 100% as per NDIS guidelines **
You should note that calling is the most effective way to ensure we receive appropriate notice. You are welcome to leave a message outside of business hours if it is before the cancellation deadline. (Please do not call after 5.00pm on a Friday and leave a message to cancel an appointment scheduled for the Monday as you will incur the session fee).
Please note that while we endeavour to remind you of your appointments through SMS reminders, these should not be relied upon and it is your responsibility to remember appointments you have made.
Session fees are payable on the phone at the time of cancellation, or will be directly charged to the encrypted credit card account details stored, or invoiced. Outstanding accounts (maximum terms = 7 days) will be referred for debt collection and will incur an 18% + GST debt collection fee.
** PLEASE NOTE: NO FUTURE APPOINTMENTS CAN BE BOOKED IF YOU HAVE AN OUTSTANDING ACCOUNT **
Our session fee policy is based on the same rationale as many other industries, one example being the airline industry, where you pay for your seat whether you arrive at the airport or not. Given that the time has been set aside for you, if you do not use it, then it is unlikely at short notice it can be used by anyone else. We trust you will agree that this is a fair and reasonable policy and we thank you for your understanding.
A late cancellation, late rescheduled appointment or failure to attend your appointment is a loss to three people:
1. The client who is delaying their therapy progress
2. Another client who has been sitting on the waiting list to see the psychologist urgently
3. The psychologist who spent time preparing for the session, set aside the time in their calendar and lost income.
Please, therefore, ensure that you attend your appointments!
Evolve Psychology Group reserves the right to reschedule appointments at any time, without compensation, if it is deemed necessary due to staff illness or other unforeseen circumstances.
(The Office of Fair Trading states that a business is within its rights to charge a cancellation or “no-show” fee for appointments, so long as this has been communicated to a new patient or customer before making the appointment.)
