Finances and Mental Health
Taboo Even in the Therapy? Not anymore! Let’s Talk about money.
The therapy office is a great place to talk about all kinds of taboo issues: topics that are often considered unacceptable or inappropriate to discuss socially and are often avoided even within our inner circles. These issues can be controversial and at times shame filled. While most clients understand the need to discuss uncomfortable issues in therapy, the taboo subject of money is often avoided despite its powerful impact on one’s mental health.
Finances impact our mental wellness in obvious ways such as if we have enough to meet our current basic needs as well as how much we even understand about how to use money for spending, saving and investing. However, there are also deeper aspects of our relationship with money that can be harnessed to support our mental health.
Do you know how your current financial habits were established? How do you arrive at your decisions to spend and save? Where do you spend the money you have and does this reflect your values? Do you pay any attention to your spending at all? Could you be trying to fill gaps in your emotional life with purchases? Could you be punishing yourself with how you handle money? Are you trying to prove something to others or to yourself through your financial habits?
What are you teaching your children about financial health? What are they learning directly and indirectly from the household budgeting practices. How can you set them up for success?
What about your future? What do you want to experience during your retirement years? How can you set yourself up for a future that you are looking forward to?
The therapy room is a great place to explore these sensitive issues with a certified financial social worker who knows how to help you harness the power of your money to support your mental well-being. Unlike a financial advisor who gives you information on the nuts and bolts of debt reduction or investment planning, a certified financial social worker guides you in exploring the intersections of financial health and mental wellness that are unique to you on a psychological level. This is a powerful piece of the puzzle to creating overall well-being.
To learn more about how a Certified Financial Social Worker (CFSW) can help you, contact our own CFSW, Jill Sebaugh or explore this topic further HERE.
Here at Atlanta Wellness Collective, we want to help. For support, contact us or request an appointment online.
This blog was written by Jill Sebaugh.
Disclaimer: This blog is not intended to substitute professional therapeutic advice. Talk with your healthcare provider about your health concerns and before starting or stopping therapies. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct professional advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.
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