Question 1

What counts as a no-show versus a late cancellation?

Accepted Answer

A no-show is a session missed with no notice at all; a late cancellation is one cancelled inside your notice period, usually 24 or 48 hours. For this calculator they cost the same thing: an hour you kept free that nobody paid for. Your cancellation policy can treat them differently, and many therapists charge no-shows in full but late cancellations at half fee.

Question 2

What does a normal DNA rate look like in private practice?

Accepted Answer

Around one booked session in ten is common for practices without automatic reminders, and private rates tend to sit a little below NHS ones because clients are paying. Under 5% is good. If you are above 15%, something structural is wrong: the booking process, the payment terms or the reminder gap, rather than the clients.

Question 3

Does charging for no-shows reduce them?

Accepted Answer

A little, and much less than people hope. A fee agreed up front changes behaviour mainly by making the commitment explicit, not by the amount itself. Reminders outperform fees because most missed sessions are forgotten, not avoided. The fee is for fairness; the reminder is for prevention.

Question 4

Do reminders make clients feel chased?

Accepted Answer

Written badly, yes. Written as a simple confirmation with the time, the format and a way to rearrange, the opposite: clients consistently rate reminders as a courtesy, and the ones who need to cancel do it earlier, which gives you a chance to fill the slot.

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