What’s your Financial Attachment Style, Private Practice Psychotherapist?

Quiz Questions

• 1.
  A new client calls for therapy, and they seem like a great match!  When you tell them your fee, they hesitate.  You...

  • A.
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    Wait patiently for their response.
  • B.
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    Blurt out a lower fee right away.
  • C.
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    Immediately offer to refer to someone who charges less.
  • D.
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    Ask what they can afford and without agreeing to a rate, schedule them. At the first appointment, say you need to discuss the fee.
• 2.
  There is an exciting, cutting-edge training available.  How do you decide if you attend?

  • A.
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    I assess if it is in my budget, if it will serve my practice and my clients now, and works with my schedule.
  • B.
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    I'd think about it but quickly decide against it. What if an unexpected expense comes up?
  • C.
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    Of course I'm going! My clients deserve the best care!
  • D.
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    I just sign up but then obsess. I go back and forth in my head about whether I should or shouldn't have.
• 3.
  Your income for the month was unexpectedly low. How do you feel about it?

  • A.
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    I'm grateful I budgeted for ebbs and flows in my business.
  • B.
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    Freaked out. Tense with people around me. Ready to cancel vacation plans.
  • C.
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    Shocked. How did that happen? I have no idea what to do now.
  • D.
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    Eh. It will somehow work out. No sweat.
• 4.
  How are you doing with your future savings/retirement plans?

  • A.
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    I'm right on track and am looking forward to my semi-annual meeting with my financial planner.
  • B.
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    I know I have enough, but I still worry about running out of money.
  • C.
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    My retirement plan is to work until I die in my therapy chair. Good thing I love my work.
  • D.
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    I have no idea where to start!
• 5.
  How do you know how much you can afford to give to charity?

  • A.
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    I have a set percentage planned based on my income.
  • B.
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    Once I know I can make it through the year, I give a small amount.
  • C.
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    I just give from the heart and trust I'll be taken care of.
  • D.
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    This sounds like a math problem. Is this a math problem?
• 6.
  Rich people are:

  • A.
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    People
  • B.
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    Careful with money
  • C.
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    Greedy
  • D.
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    Dangerous

Quiz Outcomes

• 1.
  Your Financial Attachment Style is Mostly Secure

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  Friend, you love to approach challenging topics, and money is no different. Instead of avoiding money issues altogether or obsessing until you make yourself sick, you see your relationship with money as a mutually-supportive dance that takes planning, time, attention, and commitment to strengthening--and it shows in your net worth! No matter what challenge you and your money face, you're tackling it head-on with confidence. Adults with a secure money attachment style are more able to feel comfortable with the money they have. They often have the confidence to know they are capable of managing challenging financial situations. They are also more likely to have a balance between what they spend and what they save. All relationships can be strengthened. Read on for 3 exercises to enhance your secure relationship with money. 1. Journal a gratitude letter to those you received money from this week. Acknowledge the energy you gave in exchange for the money you received. In addition, you may write to your finances in general, sharing how grateful you are for what you have and what your current financial situation gives you.2. Dream with more clarity. Do a vision board around your retirement dreams so you can gain clarity on what you would like your money to do. 3. Accountability. Join in the conversation with other therapists who have similar goals to improve their relationships with money. Share your vision for your future with others who matter most.
• 2.
  Your Financial Attachment Style is Mostly Anxious/Preoccupied

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  Friend, the good news is you probably don't have to worry about money. The bad news is you probably worry about it all the time. If you experienced financial struggles and traumas around money as a child, the stress residue is still influencing you and the way you interact with money. Anxious attachment to money comes from a deep-seated belief that there is never enough money, or that money will somehow be taken away.While people with anxious money attachment tend to stay out of debt, they often have problems spending money on themselves and others because wants are seen as wasteful and threatening to their safety. People with anxious attachment to money also don't tend to trust others with their money, so they may be reluctant to use financial professionals to help them plan for their future and make current-day financial decisions. Hiring a financial professional has been shown to increase a person's net worth substantially--between 3% and 3.75% over investing without a professional's help in two recent studies! Financial professionals can help ease worries about the financial future by running various scenarios and having a solid retirement and investment plan.If you are working with a financial professional, it's time to make an appointment to discuss your fears. If you don't have one, it's time to start exploring what's getting in the way.“The goal isn't more money. The goal is living life on your terms." — Chris BroganGetting curious about your anxiety around money can help you uncover what needs to change inside you to be more secure financially. Try this journaling exercise!Find a quiet place where you can be free of most distractions. Grab a pad of paper and a pen. Take a few deep breaths to center yourself. Now ask yourself these questions and journal your responses: 1. When I think about my financial situation, what worries me? 2. How have my worries impacted my enjoyment of life? 3. What am I afraid will happen if I stop worrying?4. Do I know for sure that this will happen if I stop worrying?5. If I were able to approach finances with calm confidence, how would my life be different?6. What actions am I willing to take right now to reduce my fear of financial disaster?One action you can take is to join Financial Flow--a closed group intensive program for private practice therapy practitioners who are ready to heal their relationship with money in community. You don't have to go it alone. Click here to learn more!
• 3.
  Your Financial Attachment Style is Mostly Avoidant

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  Welcome to the attachment style that most of your colleagues have with money: Avoidant. I'm sorry to say this, friend, but the above picture is exactly what happens when money discomfort is avoided.You know this instinctively as a therapist--avoidance prolongs and worsens pain. It also prevents the healing and resolution of the issue at hand. Conversations about money make most people uncomfortable, but for therapists, money avoidance is an especially prevalent issue. You probably went into the field because you have a passion for helping others. You know you deserve to get paid for the important work you do, but there's something supremely uncomfortable about the idea of making money "off of other people's pain." Ick! No wonder you don't like to think about it! Like most of your colleagues, if the idea of making a budget or getting a clear picture of your net worth sounds like those impossible math equations that haunted you in school, it's no wonder you're a little avoidant. If "having money" conjures up negative images, sensations, and the like, you're unconsciously doing things to part with your money. And who can afford to do that? So what can be done about your avoidance? First, you're doing something right now! You're thinking about it as you read this. Grab some paper and a pen and go a little deeper by journaling as you become aware of what comes up as you ponder the following questions:1. When you think of your current financial situation, what words, images, sensations, emotions, etc. emerge? 2. What are the biggest fears you have about money? 3. On a scale from 0-10, where 0 means not at all and 10 means completely, how confident are you in your ability to manage what you have well?4. Imagine for a moment that you waved a magic wand, and suddenly, you no longer feel any fears, discomfort, ick, etc. when it comes to money. From this place, on a scale from 0-10, where 0 means not at all and 10 means completely, how confident are you in your ability to manage what you have well?5. How much math was required for your subjective confidence level to increase? (answer: none)You can improve your relationship with money, grow in confidence with your ability to manage your money, and dump old, unhelpful beliefs that aren't serving you. And you can do it in community with 19 other amazing private practice clinicians in the Financial Flow Program for Private Practice Therapists!5 months of growing time + 16 hours of group work + awesome community support + doable homework that actually helps = You finding your Financial Flow!
• 4.
  Your Financial Attachment Style is Mostly Disorganized

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  When it comes to money, you get discombobulated. You may vacillate between "money doesn't matter" and "more money will fix everything." You may also struggle with asking for what you need financially. More often than you'd like to admit, other people talk you into spending money on things you don't need (or even really want.) You want to have a handle on your finances, but it seems so daunting. Your level of debt feels crushing, and honestly, even thinking about looking at your money issues sends you into a panic. If your debt is keeping you awake at night, there is support out there. Debtors Anonymous is a 12-step program that can help you recover from the unmanageability of debt. Seeking the counsel of a competent financial therapist can change your life! Financial therapists help you heal deep financial wounds and help you formulate a plan to get on track financially. The Financial Therapy Association has a listing of financial therapists from around the world. You can find their information by clicking this link.No matter how out of control your relationship with money feels right now, your willingness to take this quiz shows you want to change. Help is a Google search or a click away. Again, you can find Debtors Anonymous here and a therapist listing for the Financial Therapy Association here.Let a financial therapist help guide you on your money journey. It'll be money well-spent.