Financial Therapy in California
For Anxiety, Pressure & Money Stress
WHEN MONEY NEVER FEELS SETTLED
You don't have to be in financial trouble to struggle with money
You're doing "great" on paper. You earn, save, pay your bills. Maybe you even invest. You're financially responsible.
But money still feels heavy. Charged. Never quite settled.
Maybe you worry constantly even though you're objectively stable. Maybe you feel guilty every time you spend. Maybe you and your partner fight about finances. Maybe you tie your worth to your income and it's exhausting.
You can understand money logically—budgets, savings rates, investment strategies—and still feel anxious, ashamed, or out of control around it.
That's because your relationship with money isn't just about numbers. It's about what money means to you—safety, worth, control, freedom, failure.
Financial therapy addresses that.
Your financial anxiety didn't come from nowhere.
WHY MONEY STRUGGLES AREN'T "JUST ABOUT MONEY"
Your relationship with money developed in context
It's shaped by what you witnessed growing up. What was said (or not said) about money in your family. How your parents handled financial stress. What you learned about worth, safety, success, and dependence.
Maybe you watched a parent stress constantly about bills. Maybe money was used for control. Maybe you were told to be grateful and never ask for anything. Maybe financial instability meant emotional chaos.
Those experiences become patterns—ways your body automatically responds to money, even when your current reality is different.
That's why you can be financially competent and still feel anxious. Why you can have savings and still worry constantly. Why you can earn well and still feel like it's never enough.
Your nervous system learned that money equals safety (or danger). And it hasn't updated.
The cultural context makes it worse
We live in a culture that constantly links money to worth. That rewards overwork and frames rest as laziness. That treats financial success as proof of your value and financial struggle as personal failure.
Even when you consciously reject these messages, they still affect you.
Financial therapy helps you untangle what's yours (your actual financial situation and values) from what you've absorbed (cultural pressure, family patterns, impossible standards).
What We'll Work On
You may be dealing with:Constant money anxiety
- Worrying about money even when you're financially stable.
- Checking your accounts frequently.
- Worrying about worst-case scenarios.
- Feeling like you'll never have "enough."
Scarcity thinking and shame
- Feeling guilty when you spend money on yourself.
- Difficulty accepting gifts or help.
- Believing there's never enough even when there is.
- Hiding purchases or debt or avoiding looking at your finances altogether
Tying your worth to your income
- Believing your value is determined by how much you make.
- Overworking to prove yourself.
- Shame when you're not earning enough.
- Difficulty resting or not being "productive."
Decision paralysis and relationship conflict
- Paralysis around career moves, purchases, or investments.
- Researching endlessly but still second-guessing decisions.
- Fighting with your partner about spending or saving.
- Feeling controlled or controlling around finances.
Money anxiety rarely exists alone
If you struggle with financial stress, you may also notice this showing up in other areas of your life:
The same overthinking that makes financial decisions feel impossible may also keep you up at night analyzing conversations or researching other choices endlessly.
The perfectionism that makes you beat yourself up for not being "better" with money may also show up as impossible standards for yourself at work or in relationships.
The anxiety that makes you catastrophize about worst-case financial scenarios may also drive people-pleasing, difficulty saying no, or taking on more than your share to keep everyone happy.
That's because money anxiety isn't just about money—
It's part of a larger pattern of how your nervous system responds to pressure. The same pressure system that creates financial stress often creates anxiety and perfectionism in other areas too.
When we work on financial therapy, we address both the money piece AND the underlying anxiety and pressure patterns driving it.
What happens in financial therapy?
This isn't financial planning. I won't tell you how to budget or where to invest.
Financial therapy addresses the emotional and psychological side of money—the anxiety, the shame, the patterns that keep you stuck even when you know what you "should" do.
We work on:
Understanding your money story
Where did your beliefs about money come from? What did you learn about safety, worth, and scarcity? What patterns are you repeating (or desperately trying to avoid)?
Calming the anxiety
Your body is in constant alert mode around money. We use both talk therapy and Brainspotting to help your nervous system relax—so you can think clearly instead of just reacting.
Building decision clarity
Less second-guessing. Less paralysis. Less researching endlessly without ever feeling confident. You'll learn to trust yourself with financial choices and relationship money conversations.
Separating worth from income
You are not your salary. Your value isn't determined by your productivity. We work on building a sense of worth that exists independently of what you earn or achieve.
What shifts
Clearer financial decisions
Less looping, second-guessing, or fear-driven choices. More grounded clarity about what actually fits your life and values.
01
Less anxiety and reactivity
The constant background worry quiets down. You can look at your bank account without spiraling. Financial stress doesn't take over your whole nervous system.
02
Reduced shame and secrecy
You can look at your financial life with more honesty and less judgment. You stop hiding from it or beating yourself up about it.
03
A healthier relationship with spending and saving
Moving away from guilt, restriction, or impulsive spending—and toward conscious choices that feel aligned with what you actually value.
04
Worth beyond productivity
Less tying your value to your income or output. More capacity to feel worthy and resourced regardless of how much you're earning or achieving.
05
How We'll Work Together
Brainspotting
When the anxiety won't quiet down just from talking about it, we use Brainspotting—Brainspotting— a brain-body approach that helps your nervous system release the fear and tension tied to money and financial security.
My Background
Why I do financial therapy
Financial anxiety deserves a therapist who is comfortable talking about money plainly — not sidestepping the numbers or minimizing their impact.
With training in both business and therapy, I approach financial stress with practical fluency and emotional depth.
We can talk about the numbers.
And we can talk about what they mean.
As Seen In
Weekly therapy or an Intensive
Weekly therapy sessions
50-minute weekly sessions This format works well if you want:
- Ongoing support as money stress shows up in real life
- Space to work through financial decisions as they arise
- Consistent accountability and skill-building
- Gradual, sustainable change in your relationship with money
Therapy Intensives
Extended sessions over 1-2 daysThis format works well if you're:
- Facing a major financial decision or transition
- Stuck in long-standing money patterns or scarcity thinking
- Dealing with financial trauma or shame
- Limited on time but ready to go deep
Investment: $1,000-2,500
The approach is the same whether you choose weekly sessions or an intensive. The difference is pacing and structure.
Not sure which format is right for you? Schedule a free 15-minute consultation and we'll figure it out together.
Who can benefit from my approach
Financial Therapy may be a good fit if you...
Feel anxious about money even when you're financially stable
Struggle with guilt around spending or difficulty receiving
Tie your worth to your income or productivity
Experience conflict with your partner around finance
Carry shame or secrecy related to money
Are facing a major financial decision or career transition
Want to understand the emotional side of your financial stress
Are ready to do the work (I'll guide you, but this requires your participation)
Common questions about financial therapy
If you don't see your questions here, check out my Full FAQs-
No. I'm a therapist, not a financial planner. I work on the emotional and psychological side of money—the anxiety, shame, and patterns that keep you stuck.
-
Only if you want to. We focus on your relationship with money and the patterns you're experiencing, not the specific numbers in your accounts. Some clients find it helpful to share details; others prefer to keep it general. Either is fine.
-
Financial therapy can help you understand your own patterns and reactions around money, which often improves relationship dynamics. However, if you want to work on the relationship itself, couples therapy might be more appropriate. We can discuss what makes sense for your situation.
-
Financial therapy specifically focuses on your relationship with money. While traditional therapy might touch on financial stress, it often doesn't go deep enough into the specific patterns, beliefs, and nervous system responses tied to money.
-
I’m so glad you asked! First, click the “Schedule free consultation” button 👈to book our initial call. During our call together, we’ll have a short conversation about what’s bringing you to therapy now, answer any additional questions you might have, and overall get a chance to see if we’re a good fit.
It's possible to make peace with money
You don't have to feel anxious, guilty, or controlled by money forever.