This article describes how challenging it could be for some families to break the silence around money. “No matter how difficult, honest financial conversations among family members are almost always the best choice. Here are some ways to do it.”
“Talking about money can be one of the most difficult issues families face — whether they have a lot of it or not so much. And the steps that rich families take — or fail to take — can serve as a model, or as a cautionary tale, for families of more modest means.”
“‘My profession exists because it’s hard for people to talk,’ said Alison Comstock Moss, chief executive of Paul Comstock Partners, which advises wealthy families. ‘There are risks to silence,’ she said. Risks that money is wasted, improperly invested, lost because of bad record-keeping, given away without any thought, or worse — embezzled.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/06/your-money/financial-talk-family.html
How Financial Therapy with Elaine Korngold Can Help
Most therapists are trained to talk about issues such as sexual behavior or substance abuse eating, but not about financial issues and their significance. This is despite the fact that couples rank money as the top problem prior to marriage, and in the early stages of marriage. Money is one of the main reasons that couples argue or divorce. Breaking the silence around money and learning how to have healthy conversations about it is where Financial Therapy with individuals or couples comes in.
This is where I can help with Financial Therapy. My professional background and my training give me a unique perspective on how money impacts individuals and couples. Frequently, it is not the lack of money that creates stress and anxiety, but how people mismanage their finances. I can help you clarify your values around money, identify the messages you received from your family, and understand what drives your money behaviors. For couples, I integrate Financial Therapy with Gottman Method Couples Therapy to help couples communicate more constructively and develop tactical skills to foster a healthy financial partnership. For compulsive behaviors related to money, such as shopping addiction or gambling, I offer Brainspotting therapy for addiction.
In my private practice I encourage clients to explore how their finances affect their emotional well-being through discussions about budgets, financial values, and core beliefs about money and spending. Research indicates that good financial health is important to reducing stress and increasing stability and satisfaction. With counseling, clients can begin addressing and resolving complex issues and emotions that manifest when they encounter financial stresses. Contact me to learn more.