Not all therapists offer sliding scales. Are you having financial difficulty with paying the current amount? If you are then it would be worth raising this with your therapist. If you are not then you aren't a chump for paying the full fee.

I was a bit worried about how my post sounded...

I guess that to clarify things a little (I hope I'm not rationalising) I'm living on a scholarship which is (objectively) considered to be manageable with respect to basic needs. And it is manageable with respect to basic needs. With respect to drinking and coffee and the like a lot of that is socialisation within the department. We are expected to do this because we are meant to network with visitors and the like.

He offered me the sliding scale once he realised I was living off the scholarship and had no other personal funds (a lot of students have additional funds because of inheritance or top-up scholarship or whatever).

Like I said, I know people who spend their whole salary on analysis. I'm talking a considerable amount of money (full time professionals).

With respect to your thought that if people couldn't afford it then they just wouldn't be able to get therapy that quite often is the case. I have seen a number of people who refused to see me if I couldn't pay the full fee. I've also contacted a number of people who had a student discounted rate that they could offer me but it was still not feasible for me and they refused to offer further discount.