As long as we are not having money troubles with grants and donations etc., we will leave the length of therapy up to the client. Typically some people come see us for a few months, perhaps drop out of the picture, perhaps come back. In any psychotherapy situation people can be ambivalent about how much they want to pursue therapy and examine their personal life in depth. I don't think anyone has come for more than 20 sessions, but it's only happenstance that it's worked out that way. We'll also give a full session credit for donating blood.
Patients also can choose to pay a bit on a sliding scale.
One reason we set this volunteer requirement high is to really make the client the consumer. He or she may not have the money in their pocket to pay for therapy, but that amount of work is a big commitment to make and puts them in the driver's seat, earning their therapy. This structure also convinces our funders, who underwrite this endeavor, of our clients' commitment to the community and their therapy and self-help. The volunteer work really is tailored to the interest of the person. We don't get involved with the agency where someone is volunteering, in order to further preserve their privacy.