FINANCIAL THERAPY WITH RACHEL SYKES, PSYCHOTHERAPIST
Improve your relationship with money
Does the subject of personal finances make you uncomfortable? Okay, maybe a little more than just uncomfortable? Do you think of yourself as someone who is just bad with money? Do you avoid planning for your retirement or saving for your children’s education because you believe it’s a hopeless cause?
Financial therapy is a targeted form of therapy that focuses on your beliefs, feelings, and behaviors that contribute to a poor relationship with money.
Can money be scary? Yes, but that doesn’t need to hold you back from making sound financial decisions to benefit yourself, your family, and your community.
My financial experience
I worked for 25 years in the investment and retirement industries, completed my MBA and earned the right to use the CFA designation. I also taught financial planning, general finance, and financial literacy courses at a local university. I am a volunteer member of The Financial Literacy Council at CFA Boston and a member of the Boston Economic Club.
Despite my career change to become a licensed therapist, I liked many things about working in this industry, especially teaching. Financial therapy allows me to utilize my professional experience more holistically to help clients improve their relationship with money.
Who is this a good fit for?
Folks who are open to discussing how their past experiences and feelings have affected their relationship with money
People that are willing to have challenging discussions and tolerate discomfort
People who know they should have done more to meet their financial goals and don’t understand why they have not
People who are willing to do therapeutic homework between sessions
Clients who are serious about change
Those who have out-of-network insurance benefits that will reimburse for session costs or are able to pay out of pocket for fees
Someone who is located in either Massachusetts or New Hampshire, as that is where I, Rachel, am licensed
When might this not be a good fit?
When clients want to go through their insurance to pay for sessions
When someone wants financial advice or financial planning recommendations
When someone is unwilling to discuss their emotions or difficult past experiences - this IS therapy
Those who want to “fix” a family member who is not good with money
When someone is not ready to or interested in attending regular weekly appointments
What Financial therapy is NOT
Financial therapy, as far as I am concerned, is NOT financial planning. I don’t sell any financial products. I do not make any financial recommendations nor make any guarantees regarding your financial progress. However, we can discuss your goals in this area and identify ways in which you might be sabotaging yourself with your unexamined thoughts, beliefs, feelings, and actions.