Cancellation & No-Show Policy
Life happens — here's how missed sessions are handled
Your appointment time is held exclusively for you, and when a session is missed without notice, that hour can't be offered to someone else who needed it. This policy exists to keep scheduling fair and predictable — not to punish anyone for having a hard week.
Last updated: August 2026 · This policy is reviewed and signed during intake.
The Short Version
Three things to remember
| Situation | What Happens |
|---|---|
| Cancel or reschedule with 24+ hours' noticeBy phone, email, or the client portal | No charge |
| Cancel with less than 24 hours' noticeOr arriving more than 10 minutes late | First time: no charge After that: full session fee |
| No-show — no contact at allSession time passes without you joining | First time: no charge After that: full session fee |
Everyone gets one grace occurrence. Genuine emergencies and sudden illness are waived beyond that as well — just reach out and say so.
Giving Notice
24 hours, by whatever method is easiest
To cancel or reschedule without a fee, please give at least 24 hours' notice before your scheduled start time. Notice can be given any of these ways, and any one of them counts:
- Call or text (337) 283-9997 — a voicemail left before the 24-hour mark counts as notice
- Email info@pridehealing.com
- Cancel or reschedule yourself through the client portal at pridehealing.clientsecure.me
You never need to explain why. "I need to reschedule" is a complete sentence, and it will never be met with pushback or follow-up questions.
Late Arrivals
The 10-minute mark
If you haven't joined the session within 10 minutes of the scheduled start time and there's been no word from you, the appointment is treated as a no-show and the time is released. If you do join late within that window, the session still ends at its original scheduled time so the next client isn't kept waiting — and the full session fee still applies.
Technology trouble is its own category. If your video or connection fails, call or text right away and the session can often be finished by phone instead. A good-faith attempt to connect is never treated as a no-show.
The Grace Occurrence
Everyone gets one
The first late cancellation or no-show carries no charge, no matter the reason. Recovery and mental health work aren't tidy, and one missed session shouldn't come with a bill attached.
After that first occurrence, each subsequent late cancellation or no-show is billed at the full session fee of $150. This is a private-pay charge that insurance does not cover, and it's charged to the card kept securely on file.
When the Fee Is Waived
Real emergencies are always honored
Even beyond the grace occurrence, the fee is waived at clinical discretion for circumstances genuinely outside your control. That includes:
- Sudden illness, injury, or a medical emergency — yours or a dependent's
- A death in the family or a family crisis
- Severe weather, evacuation orders, or a widespread power or internet outage
- A mental health crisis that made attending impossible
- Any situation where charging you would clearly do more harm than good
You will never be asked for documentation or proof. Simply reach out and explain the situation, and it will be handled with the benefit of the doubt.
Payment Method on File
How the fee is collected
A valid credit or debit card is kept securely on file through the practice's HIPAA-compliant billing system as a condition of scheduling. Late cancellation and no-show fees are charged to that card, and you'll always receive an emailed receipt. Card details are stored by the payment processor, not by the practice.
Repeated Missed Sessions
When it's worth a conversation
If missed sessions become a pattern — generally three or more within a short span — that's usually a signal worth exploring rather than a rule to enforce. Sometimes the appointment time no longer fits your life, sometimes ambivalence about treatment is showing up in the calendar, and sometimes something bigger is going on.
In those cases, the conversation comes first. If a schedule change or a different level of care would serve you better, that's discussed openly and a referral is offered. Standing appointment slots may be released after repeated no-shows so the time can be offered to someone on the waitlist, but the door stays open to return.
Cancellations From This End
It goes both ways
If a session has to be cancelled from this end — illness, emergency, or an unavoidable conflict — you'll be notified as early as possible and offered priority rescheduling, typically within the same week. You are never charged for a session cancelled by the practice.
Insurance Note
What insurers will and won't pay
Insurance plans, including Medicaid and Medicare, do not reimburse for missed appointments. Once insurance billing is active for your care, any late cancellation or no-show fee remains your direct responsibility and cannot be billed to your plan.
Questions
Ask before it's an issue
If anything here is unclear, or if your circumstances make a 24-hour window genuinely difficult to meet, say so during intake. Accommodations can often be worked out in advance — email info@pridehealing.com or call (337) 283-9997.
Louisiana Medicaid
If Medicaid is your coverage, no fee applies
Louisiana Medicaid rules prohibit this practice from billing either Medicaid or you for an appointment that didn’t happen. That means no late-cancellation fee and no no-show fee is ever charged to a client covered by Louisiana Medicaid or a Medicaid managed care plan — there is no waiver or agreement that changes this, and you will never be asked to sign one.
The rest of this page still matters, though. Giving 24 hours’ notice when you can protects a session slot for someone else and keeps your own care on track. Missed sessions are still documented, and you may hear from the practice afterward to check in and get you rescheduled — that outreach is part of the care, not a penalty.
If a pattern of missed sessions continues, the practice may need to talk with you about whether this is the right fit right now. That conversation happens directly with you first, with referrals and help transitioning if care ends. Everyone else’s policy is identical apart from the fee itself, which state law removes.
Need to Reschedule?
Take care of it in under a minute.
The client portal lets you move your appointment yourself, any time of day, without a phone call.
In Crisis Right Now?
Please don't wait for a reply here.
If you are in crisis or thinking about suicide, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline), call 911, or go to your nearest emergency room. This website does not provide emergency services.