Financial PTSD — I’ve seen it too. Love your writing, Ryan. You are insightful, think outside the box and have a sense of humor. This is why it’s so important for therapists to have great supervisors … and how many of those are there?
Psychotherapy saved my life and because of that I entered the profession. My head is not swelled when I say, with great dismay, I outgrew most of my supervisors.
In 2008, I worked with a client who definitely had AFS/Financial PTSD after losing a great deal of money in the stock market and getting laid off.
Also, thank goodness a supervisor advised me to never charge low rates that I would later resent. My fees varied and I put all clients on the honor system. I said I expected them to be honest and generous (if they get a raise at work, let me know and perhaps I also get a raise), and also to let me know when they needed financial help and fee reassessment.
A huge sign of mental health for me was realizing that I can always go back and address something that was said earlier. So I pushed myself to respond to clients who claimed they couldn’t afford therapy, yet telling me they had gotten raises at work, went on vacation, ate out at fancy restaurants, had cosmetic surgery. I would non-judgmentally ask to review their finances. Lay their numbers out on the table. Be honest, honorable, transparent and willing to discuss taboo subjects, process the feelings and get the most bang for their therapy buck in doing so!
Because I came from a business background (vaguely — I was studying human nature as a copywriter in the advertising world) it never occurred to me to bill clients after the work. Everybody paid me up front, bought monthly packages and stuff like that. Your article is refreshing and definitely a topic that deserves much more attention. Thank you.
