Why Therapists Need Financial Therapy Too
You trained for years to sit with people in their darkest moments. To help clients untangle trauma, manage anxiety, and rebuild their lives.
But let’s be honest: no one in grad school taught you how to run payroll, navigate taxes, or set fees without guilt. You were trained to be a therapist, not an accountant.
And that gap? It leaves many therapists caught in cycles of money shame, avoidance, and burnout.
The hidden shame around money and therapy
For many clinicians, money feels like a taboo subject. Raising your rates, saving for retirement, or even asking clients to pay on time can stir up discomfort. This isn’t surprising. Studies show that money shame is strongly linked to financial avoidance and distress, making it harder to build stability both personally and professionally (Tangney & Dearing, 2002; Klontz & Britt, 2012).
Money avoidance often shows up in therapists as:
Avoiding looking at bank accounts or financial reports.
Undercharging for sessions (and then resenting the workload).
Feeling guilty for wanting financial stability.
And when shame drives your financial decisions, it’s nearly impossible to build a values-aligned practice. If you’ve ever felt this cycle, you’re not alone, and you’re not broken. In fact, we wrote about how holiday spending shame impacts mental health in a similar way.
Why graduate training didn’t prepare you
Most therapy programs barely touch on the financial realities of private practice. You may have graduated with deep knowledge of attachment theory, trauma modalities, or EMDR, but no roadmap for managing business expenses or making confident financial choices.
That lack of training leaves therapists at risk for:
Burnout from overworking to compensate for undercharging.
Financial stress that bleeds into clinical work.
Questioning whether private practice is even sustainable.
When we talk about therapist burnout, it’s not just about client load or scheduling. It’s also about the financial stress that fuels overwork and exhaustion, a connection we’ve unpacked in our blog on the 12 stages of burnout.
Financial therapy as the missing piece
Here’s where financial therapy for therapists makes all the difference.
Financial therapy combines practical skills with the emotional tools you already know matter: addressing shame, building awareness, and creating supportive systems. Instead of pretending money isn’t part of the therapeutic world, it helps you integrate it with the same compassion you bring to clients.
That’s exactly why we created the Financial Therapy Group for Therapists. In this group, you’ll:
Replace money shame with clarity.
Trade avoidance for confidence.
Build a values-driven practice that sustains both you and your clients.
Because financial health is part of overall mental health. And the more secure and confident you feel in your finances, the more energy you have for the work that really matters, that’s helping people heal.
Moving from shame to confidence
You don’t need to keep figuring it out alone. Financial therapy provides the missing education, community, and guidance therapists deserve.
If you’ve ever thought:
“I wish someone had taught me this in grad school.”
“I’m exhausted from worrying if I’m doing it right.”
“I want my practice to reflect my values, not my fears.”
Then this group is for you.
Spots are limited → Register for the Financial Therapy Group today
References
Klontz, B., & Britt, S. L. (2012). How clients’ money scripts predict their financial behaviors. Journal of Financial Planning, 25(11), 33–43.
Tangney, J. P., & Dearing, R. L. (2002). Shame and guilt. New York: Guilford Press.