If you are interested in the topic, click here to find out more about my book "Money on Your Mind: the Psychology behind your Financial Habits" which was awarded the MAIA Best Book Award in 2024.
Money is a powerful symbol, one that people use unconsciously to act out emotional issues. I have often come across clients whose mismanagement of their finances is rooted in deep emotional issues that are often unrelated to money itself – money becomes just a means to express needs or fears that are rooted in early relationships.
An example of money difficulties clients have approached me with include clients:
- who don’t live comfortably because of a sense that they never have enough money
- who struggle with overspending and act against their best interest with money
- who find it too anxiety-provoking to make investments because of past financial trauma
- who find it hard to negotiate matters related to inheritance because of complex family dynamics
- who experience great guilt/fear/anxiety if they think about money
- who struggle with money-related addictions (including findom)
- who cannot resolve differences around money management with their partners or families
I have a dual background in finance, psychology and psychotherapy with an MBA from London Business School, a Bachelor Degree in Psychology from University of Pennsylvania and a four-year Post Graduate Diploma in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy. This unique blend of skills enables me to help clients think through their relationship with money.
Next steps
The first step is to meet for an Initial Consultation. The purpose of this session is to explore in more detail what your difficulties with relation to money are and the potential emotional roots of the problem. The Initial Consultation gives you an experience of therapy before deciding to go ahead with the sessions.
We would then meet one-on-one for therapy sessions online or in person once a week. Please note that I don't work with couples and that I work with a minimum of once a week sessions (ie: not fortnightly).
During these sessions we will explore your relationship with money, both historically and in the present. I will help you identify unconscious thoughts and associations to it, and we will look at your past experiences related to your current behaviour. When money is getting in the way of your relationships, we will analyse those relationships to better understand what is being acted out through money and think about how else to resolve those issues.
The goal of therapy is to help you gain a deeper understanding of your difficulties so that you can implement the changes you desire. I am a psychotherapist by training so the sessions are very much psychotherapy sessions. Understanding what is behind your difficulties will help you make different choices going forward. These are not financial planning sessions and I won’t be offering investment advice.
People find that money is one of the issues that are difficult to discuss openly and honestly with others and the fact that our sessions are completely confidential, offers a space in which to safely explore ideas.
