It isn't just an on-line therapy issue. I remember my second T was initially seeing me for free at church, but he started working with a counseling center and part of his contract with them was that he would only see clients AT their center according to their fee schedule (it was very much sliding fee though). I wasn't thrilled to have to go to a different place and start paying him (even if it was a small fee), but it was his career choice and it was what it was. I certainly had the choice to stop seeing him, but that would have been shooting myself in the foot.