What is the Green Bottle Method?
A more accessible way to approach counselling fees
If you’ve been searching for affordable counselling or sliding scale therapy, you may have come across something called the Green Bottle pricing method.
At Inner Action Counselling, I use the Green Bottle method to help make counselling more accessible while maintaining a sustainable practice. It offers a simple and respectful way for people to choose a fee that reflects their current financial circumstances.
Rather than asking clients to prove income levels or disclose personal financial details, the Green Bottle model recognises that life circumstances are often more complex than numbers on paper.
Why I use the Green Bottle pricing model
As a counsellor, accessibility matters deeply to me.
I’m a blind counsellor, and I understand how easily systems can become inaccessible when they rely on rigid structures that don’t reflect real life. Financial situations are rarely simple. Someone may appear comfortable on paper while carrying significant responsibilities such as caring roles, health costs, or sudden life changes.
Traditional sliding scale counselling fees often rely on strict income brackets. While well-intentioned, this approach can overlook the realities many people face.
The Green Bottle model offers something different. It allows space for dignity, honesty and personal choice without requiring anyone to justify their circumstances.
For me, this approach supports something very important in therapy: dignity.
How the Green Bottle method works
At Inner Action Counselling, sessions are 50 minutes and clients can choose from three fee levels.
Standard Fee – £56
This reflects the full cost of a counselling session if a sliding scale was not in place. Clients who choose this level help sustain the accessibility of the practice.
Mid-Level Fee – £46
This option may suit people who are working but balancing financial pressures, caring responsibilities, or unexpected life changes.
Supported Fee – £36
This option is available for those who need counselling to remain financially accessible during periods of financial strain.
Clients are not asked to disclose financial information. Instead, we can have a conversation about what feels manageable, allowing you to choose a fee that reflects your situation.
What about couples counselling?
For couples sessions, pricing starts at £76.
Couples counselling often involves longer preparation, additional emotional labour, and working with at least two perspectives in the room. However, the same ethos of accessibility and openness around financial circumstances remains part of the process. NB, group sessions and training sessions have a fixed fee.
Choosing the right price tier
One of the most common worries people have is:
"What if I choose the wrong tier?"
You don’t need to worry about getting it “perfect”. The Green Bottle approach recognises that life changes. If your circumstances shift, the fee we agree can also be revisited.
Another concern people sometimes raise is:
"What if someone else needs the lower price more than I do?"
The pricing structure is designed with this in mind. Choosing a lower tier does not take something away from someone else. Instead, the system allows counselling to be offered to a wider range of people.
If you feel uncomfortable choosing the highest fee even though you could afford it, the middle tier may feel like a more balanced option. Being able to afford to live well matters too.
Accessible counselling and real life
Counselling is often most needed during periods of change, grief, or uncertainty.
Many of the people I work with are navigating experiences such as:
• bereavement and grief
• chronic illness or disability
• sight loss and identity change
• trauma and major life transitions
• caring responsibilities or relationship changes
These experiences can affect both emotional wellbeing and financial stability.
The Green Bottle model acknowledges that people deserve support without unnecessary barriers.
A respectful conversation
If you’re considering counselling and wondering whether the Green Bottle pricing structure might work for you, we can talk about it during an introductory call.
You are not expected to justify your finances or explain your situation in detail. The aim is simply to find a fee that feels sustainable, respectful, and manageable.
Counselling with Inner Action Counselling
I offer counselling for adults, couples, and young people aged 15+, working with people navigating grief, disability, chronic illness, trauma, and major life change.
Sessions are available online, by telephone, text-based counselling, or in-person in Hampton Hill, with online sessions available across the UK.
If you’re considering counselling, you’re welcome to book a free 20-minute introductory call to see whether working together feels like the right fit.
Email: inneractioncounselling@gmail.com
Phone: 01784618437