I always thought therapists were "wealthy" but they're not really if you do the numbers. I forgot they have to run a business, pay rent on their office, etc. And it's not like they can see 8 people a day 5-6 days a week, they have to go to meetings and take continuing ed courses and have a "life." My T got up to $100 an hour, PhD psychologist in a "big" city/good area with me paying out-of-pocket. But I know she only worked about 3 days a week so assuming she had 4 full pay clients x 3 days = $1200 a week x 45 weeks a year (she worked much less as she travelled 2-3 months a year) = $54,000 and that's before paying rent and business expenses, etc.

My therapist friend works for the State of Georgia so gets a "salary" and not much in the way of expenses but a whole lot more interference and paperwork, etc. I guess it's possible to make more if you work more but there's a limit I think and you often have to have an assistant to help with billing, etc. when insurance is used (I paid out of pocket).

I think with clinics therapists give up some freedom and get more hassle than independent therapists but for less/shared money they get a secretary/billing clerk and rent/space, etc. And the hours can be greater since there's more therapists (so they can work evenings and on Saturdays and Sundays perhaps since there's more therapists with so many different hours needed so the clinic has "more" money coming in for a greater period of time because even though a therapist might be away some other therapist is still working/billing, etc.

So, they might collect $80 ("standard" insurance payment) x 5 therapists x 6 hours a day x 6 days a week x 50 weeks = $720,000 - $220,000 (divided by 5 therapists :-) for rent and assistance/office supplies, insurance, etc.) = $500,000/5 therapists = approximately $100,000 each (they'd get more or less depending on how much they actually worked, their "share").