T's need money to survive. To pay rent & bills for their office space, loans for the training and education they've received, nevermind their personal expenses. I've had multiple T's and dietitians accept just a fraction of their usual fee to see me, completely eat the costs on some things, and never charge me for the frequent out-of-session contact I needed at certain points. And one T I saw through the university for no fee; obviously the school paid her, but I didn't pay her directly for a year of weekly group and individual sessions (though I imagine a fee was in my tuition & fee bill somewhere). I saw my current T nearly a month ago and still haven't paid for that session, because I can't afford to yet. When I do, she'll be charging me less than half of her usual fee. I will pay her and want to pay her because she is a great T, and I realize she rents that office space on Friday afternoons from someone else just to see me.

I've also seen the fire in a T's eyes not at me, but at the illness gripping me and I KNOW she cares. My current and my former Ts have shown me, time and time again, that they truly care. They deserve so much thanks for all their help to me, and I'll gladly pay up. That does not, for a second, mean any of that is fake.

Some people may have had bad experiences, others may be trying to protect themselves emotionally, but I think some people are just being cynical. My T relationships have been and are very real, and my mentoring relationships with my kids are also real- money or not.