Psychologists: setting a missed-session policy for bookings
How psychologists can set and show a missed-session policy: notice period, what happens to late cancellations, where to write it, and how to handle changes.
5 min read
A missed therapy session leaves an empty hour that rarely gets filled at short notice. Set a clear rule and show it where clients book: how much notice you need to move a session, what happens to a late cancellation or a no-show, and how to contact you. Written once in your booking page's descriptions, the rule is read before every booking, and you never have to explain it for the first time in the middle of a difficult week.
Decide the rule
- Notice period: for example 48 hours to move or cancel without charge.
- Late cancellations and no-shows: whether the session is charged in full, partly, or counted as used.
- Exceptions: illness, emergencies, first sessions, according to how you want to work.
- How to reach you: phone, message or email, and at what hours.
Write it where clients book
On Book, each service has a name, a price and an optional description shown on your public page. Add the rule to each session description in two or three sentences. Clients read it before choosing a time, so it's part of the agreement from the first booking.
| Service | Example slot | Places |
|---|---|---|
| First session | 1 h | 1 |
| Individual session | 50 min | 1 |
| Video session | 50 min | 1 |
| Couple session | 1 h 15 | 1 |
Durations are examples: set your own, and state your fees in each description.
How changes work on Book
Clients can't move or cancel online: they contact you, which gives you the moment to apply the rule. You move or cancel the session from your bookings list; rescheduling works across services, so an in-person session can become a video session if travel is the problem. Book doesn't email clients about changes, so confirm the new time yourself.
Reminders lower the risk
Book doesn't send reminders. Clients who give their email receive a confirmation with a calendar file, so the session sits in their own calendar. For weekly clients, book the next sessions from your list at the end of each session; first and last name are enough.
Apply it consistently
A rule applied sometimes becomes a negotiation every time. Apply it the same way for everyone, note exceptions when you make them, and raise the subject calmly if missed sessions repeat, since the pattern can be part of the work itself.
Privacy
The booking note appears in the client's calendar file. Ask clients not to write why they're coming there, and keep missed-session conversations for the session or a private message.
Payments
Book doesn't take payments, so any charge for a missed session is handled as you handle payments today. Book costs €5/month, everything included: unlimited services and bookings, no commission, no contract.
Where should I write my missed-session policy?
Can clients cancel online?
Can a session switch to video at short notice?
Does Book charge for missed sessions?
- Psychologist booking software & online agenda — €5/month
- Psychologists: let clients book a first session online
- Physiotherapists: filling cancelled sessions fast
Guides for psychologists
- Therapy practices: scheduling several therapists and roomsHow shared therapy practices take bookings on one page: a service per therapist, first sessions, shared rooms, weekly clients, confidentiality and absences.
- Psychologists: let clients book a first session onlineHow psychologists can let new clients book a first session online: a dedicated service, a reassuring description, discretion in the note and follow-ups.