Attendance Policies in Counseling
Regular attendance ensures continuity of care, builds a strong therapeutic relationship, and supports the effectiveness of counseling. We ask all clients to be mindful of their appointments and communicate promptly if they need to cancel or reschedule.
Clients are expected to attend all scheduled counseling appointments. If a client is unable to attend, they must notify the clinic in advance to cancel or reschedule. To ensure that the Clinic is providing services in the most effective manner possible, students must call within 2 hours of their appointment time to cancel, reschedule, or to notify their counselor that they will be late for their appointment.
It is a considered a “No Show” appointment when a student does not show for an appointment without first calling and canceling. If a student arrives 15 or more minutes late for their appointment, it will be considered a no show, and they will need to reschedule. If a student cancels their appointment, without two hours’ notice, they are considered a Late Cancel. The following polices have been put in place:
- Health and Wellness Charge: $15 Health and Wellness charge will be charged to the student and appear in their student account for all appointments in which they are more than 15 minutes late, they do not cancel within 2 hours of their appointment time, or they no-show the appointment. The No-Show/Late Cancellation charge will appear on students’ EIU account/bill as a “Health and Wellness Charge.” Students are made aware of Counseling Clinic Attendance policies through the Notice of Privacy Practices/Informed Consent
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- No-Show Fee Dispute Form: There are legitimate reasons for missing an appointment and not canceling it before the date. To dispute a No-Show charge, the client may complete the “No-Show Fee Dispute Form” and return it to the Counseling Clinic for consideration. The granting of the appeal will be determined by the client's counselor and Counseling Clinic administration. Completing the form does not guarantee a reversal of the $15 Health and Wellness charge.
- Service Termination: If a client no-shows or Late Cancels three times within an academic year, they may no longer be eligible for services at our clinic and will be referred to external mental health resources for continued care.
- Inactive Client: If a client has been inactive (i.e., has not attended any sessions, nor any communication with counselor) for 30 days and does not have any upcoming appointments scheduled, their file will be closed in the counselor’s chart. If they wish to resume services, they may need to go through the intake process again and may not be able to get back in with their counselor depending on counselor availability.
- Frequent Rescheduling: Frequent rescheduling disrupts the therapeutic process. If a counselor determines that a client is repeatedly rescheduling appointments in a way that hinders progress, the counselor may exercise clinical judgment and refer the client to external services that may better meet their needs.
