How to Be a Financial Therapist: Where Do We Begin?

Where do we begin?

I take a deep breath as I think about how to begin this post, this question, this journey. How do you become a financial therapist? Even after more than a decade of practicing financial therapy, the question still stirs something in me. Not because I don’t know, but because I do. And I know how complex, layered, and deeply personal the journey can be.

Whether this is the first time you’re hearing the term financial therapy, or you’ve already been blending therapeutic insight into your financial planning (or financial structure into your therapy practice), chances are you’ve felt a kind of tug. A curiosity. A longing. A question that sounds something like:

What does it actually mean to help people with both money and emotions—and how do I learn to do it well?

Maybe you're in the early stages, just discovering this field, taking your first class, or reading your first book. Maybe you’re a year or two in, working with clients, realizing how much more there is to learn. Or maybe you’ve been practicing financial therapy for five or more years and are finding yourself asking… Now what? What’s the next evolution of my work?

Each of these stages reflects a different part of your professional identity development. But the same foundational question tends to re-emerge again and again:

How do I be a financial therapist—right here, right now, with who I am and what I’ve lived and learned?

That’s the question I want to invite you to carry with you through this blog series.

Why This Series and Why Now?

The field of financial therapy is growing. Interest is rising. But so is confusion. There’s still very little clarity, especially for professionals coming from diverse backgrounds wondering what does this actually look like, sounds like, feel like. What are the limits and liabilities of practicing financial therapy? 

Over the coming weeks, I’ll be writing to three key groups of professionals:

• Financial planners who are therapy-curious (or already dabbling in psychology and want to go deeper)

• Therapists who are realizing they can’t not talk about money in the room anymore

• Financial therapists who want to refine their practice and feel less alone on the path

And here’s my invitation to all of you:
Let this be a journey. Not a destination.
Let this be about becoming.

You’ll hit high points. Those moments when a client tears up after seeing a new truth about their money story, and you know something meaningful just shifted. And you’ll also hit low points like when you feel stuck, overwhelmed, or uncertain if you're even doing it “right.”

You’ll encounter clients with big transformations. And you’ll encounter clients who get stuck and stay stuck. You’ll feel your own old stories show up, sometimes in uncomfortable ways. And this is all part of the practice.

Financial therapy is not just something you do for clients.
It’s something you become, as you do your own work.

What’s Coming in This Series

In the coming weeks, we’ll explore:

• The core mindsets and skills financial therapists need (regardless of background)

• How financial therapy blends emotional depth and practical planning

• The messy middle of integrating two professional identities

• Tools, theories, and frameworks that guide our work at Healthy Love and Money

• Real-world stories and lessons from over a decade of practice

We’ll also spotlight foundational concepts from attachment theory, polyvagal theory, financial planning, and narrative therapy—all with an eye toward practical application and compassionate integration.

A Final Word Before We Begin

If you’re here, you’re already doing the work.
You’re already leaning in.

Let this series be a guide and a companion, not a set of rules or a rigid path. There’s no one right way to be a financial therapist. But there are wise ways. Informed ways. Integrity-filled ways. Ways that take into account both your professional training and your personal journey.

So take a breath.

You're not behind. You're becoming.

Welcome to the series. I’m so glad you’re here.

Wishing You Healthy Love and Money,
Ed Coambs - Founder