FTA Pre-Symposium Workshop Illustrates Need to Link Financial and Behavioral Health Professionals

Written By: Andi Wrenn

Drs. Kristy Archuleta, Lance Palmer and Joseph Goetz from the Financial Therapy Association provided examples of behavioral health techniques applicable to both mental health and financial counseling and illustrated a collaboration model when both types of expertise might be needed.

The facilitators began with an illustration showing that both behavioral and financial counseling focus on the same five elements: thoughts, emotions, behavior, relationships and client change. Whether those are relationships with people or relationships with money determines the primary objective of counseling.

However, experienced professionals in both the behavioral and financial arenas know that there are often complex relationships involving both interpersonal relationships and financial ones. Sometimes one professional can help the client address both dimensions, but other times, it may be necessary to refer the client to a second counselor whose skills round out the continuum of care.

When referrals become necessary, the referring professional remains an integral part of the care team for the client. In some cases, both professionals may see the client during a session while in others, the client is seen separately. The collaborating professionals lay out the framework so that their own expectations can be managed along with the client’s.

For the remainder of the day, the workshop explored various money disorders and illustrated examples of how Solution Focused Therapy (SFT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) can help clients overcome them. Participants learned the basic aspects of both approaches and had an opportunity to participate in exercises enabling them to apply both methods.