who actually pays for therapy?

I've noticed a pattern in folks, who commit themselves and their funds to therapy. 

1. They're not necessarily short of people to talk to. 

2. They're averse to spending large amounts of time working through the details of their thoughts, so they do it only for very small fractions of their time. 

3. Sometimes, they aren't limited in time ... but they do prefer the privacy of formal counsel, in a protected environment. 

4. Therefore, to friends and neighbours, their capacity to analyse their thoughts discursively may not be available as a social activity. 

After all, if they were comfortable discussing themselves at great lengths, and without secrecy, they would not need to pay for protective services.