No-Shows and the Importance of Attending Therapy/Psychiatry Appointments

The Lartey Wellness Group has unfortunately seen a spike in no-shows in the recent months. In fact, in the past two months, 1 out of every 4 sessions has resulted in a no-show. When a client is a no-show, our clinicians miss out on being able to schedule another client who is in need of services in that appointment slot. That is why we encourage all of our clients to be courteous and call the office or tell their therapist within 48-hours of their appointment if they will need to cancel or reschedule. When we are given proper notice, we are better able to assist all of our clients and provide them with the best care possible.

Missing an appointment for therapy and/or medication management is not only detrimental to our clients and clinicians, but for the person who has missed the appointment as well. Good attendance increases the efficacy and effectiveness of the treatment you are receiving. Positive, effective, and lasting outcomes of therapy are not related to the overall duration of treatment, but to the consistency and frequency of treatment (i.e., how consistently and frequently you attend appointments). This is especially the case at the beginning of therapy when initial changes are being made. (Barbash, 2018, para. 2) With every appointment you attend, it is the hope that your mental health is getting better in some way. When you miss an appointment, you risk stalling the progress you have made thus far.

By staying connected with your clinician, you have a better chance of meeting the treatment goals that were set forth at the beginning of treatment. Not only that, but it is good to have a consistent support system and safe space to express yourself and anything you’re going through or feeling. Missing appointments can also delay prescription refills if you are seeing one of our psychiatric nurse practitioners.

Therapy and/or psychiatry take effort, dedication and consistency for them to be most effective. Don’t interrupt your progress and healing due to canceling or missing appointments. If something has come up and you know you will not be able to make your appointment, contact us or your therapist so that we can reschedule you for a different date to ensure that you do not experience a lapse in care.