New Book Helps Therapists and Counselors Talk About Money

Jan. 28, 2013 - PRLog -- LifeWise Strategies, LLC and Loose Change Financial Therapy, Inc. announce the publication of "Bringing Money Into the Conversation: A Quick Start for Therapists." Co-authored by Syble Solomon and Amanda Mills, the book provides tools and tips to help therapists talk about money issues with counseling clients.

"Money touches every aspect of our lives, but it is still the most difficult topic to discuss. When I talked to therapists as we were writing this book, their uniform response was, 'I wish I had a reference book like that when I began working with clients!' We hope this book will serve as a practical, helpful resource for people in a variety of counseling roles," says Mills, who provides financial counseling.

Although some therapists have training in financial therapy, "Bringing Money Into the Conversation" was written primarily for those who do not. Money is often an underlying and interrelated issue when dealing with topics such as lifecycle events, career and workplace issues, addiction, family relationships, marriage and divorce. For example, PayPal's "Can't Buy Me Love" survey found that money is the number one cause of arguments among U.S. couples. Because the way that people spend and save is so interconnected with emotional issues (e.g., love, security, freedom, independence, self-worth, etc.), being able to understand and talk about money in a productive manner is very beneficial to counselors and their clients.

"There are many reasons clients don't mention money issues to their therapist. They may think it is too private, embarrassing, or inappropriate, but more often they don't realize their emotional relationship with money may be an issue. A therapist is the perfect person to help them work through that. Therefore, we wanted to share what we've learned about talking about money to make it as easy as possible for therapists to be comfortable bringing it into the conversation," said Syble Solomon, the president of LifeWise Strategies, LLC and the creator of the award-winning money personality tool, Money Habitudes®.

The new book provides a background on how the brain works with respect to financial decision-making, as well as an overview of how and why people relate differently to money. It contains 20 money conversation starters, worksheets and a number of tips on how to simplify the process of working with numbers and budgets. It also includes a section on partnering with financial professionals and a primer on the differences between financial planners, financial educators and accountants and how their specific expertise can help clients. In addition, the book includes advice on working with specific populations including the wealthy, the working poor, trauma survivors, and at-risk youth. Among the counseling experts who contributed their own tips to talk about money are Szifra Birke, LMFT; Saundra Davis, MSFP; and Ted Klontz, PhD.

About LifeWise Strategies, LLC

Founded by Syble Solomon, LifeWise Strategies, LLC, produces Money Habitudes, a money conversation starter and money personality tool. Solomon was named Educator of the Year by the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education and received the Smart Marriages Impact Award from the Coalition for Marriage, Family and Couples Education. Money Habitudes was chosen as a personal finance selection of the month by the Washington Post. LifeWise Strategies also publishes guides and financial curricula materials. The teen financial curriculum, "Money Habitudes: How To Be Rich in Life & Love," co-developed with the Dibble Institute, won a 2012 Excellence in Financial Literacy Education (EIFLE) Award. Solomon speaks regularly on the psychology of money and money personalities and is also the author of "Inspired Savings," a motivational money management calendar-book and blog.

About Loose Change, Inc.

Based in Toronto, Loose Change Financial Therapy was founded by Amanda Mills to address the intersection of money and emotions. A crisis counselor who co-wrote a bestselling book on recovering from trauma, Mills is also a tax professional who has prepared thousands of tax returns. She is a certified financial counselor under Canada's Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act. She has taught business management at the University of Victoria in British Columbia and presents workshops for social workers, teachers, psychotherapists, artists, anti-poverty activists, sex trade workers, women's groups, and the general public. She has been a guest on major Canadian radio and television broadcasts and has been profiled in Canadian newspapers and periodicals.