The financial therapist will see you now

As therapy becomes more mainstream, there is a specialty that’s hiding in the shadows — financial therapy. You might know that you can turn to traditional therapy if you’re facing challenges or you want to give your mental health a tune-up. But you might not realize you can work with a financial therapist, specifically focusing on your relationship with money. 

If you’ve ever felt anxious about money, cried about money, lost your sleep over it or had blow-out fights with your partner about it, financial therapy could be for you, according to Wendy Wright, a financial therapist and licensed marriage and family therapist. And you might need this support now more than ever, in today’s economic climate.

An April 2025 study from CNBC/SurveyMonkey found that 73% of Americans feel stressed about their finances right now, and most feel worse off than they did a year ago. The top stressors included inflation (86%), high interest rates (75%), tariffs (66%) and layoffs (51%). Another 41% have adjusted their investments due to the stock market volatility caused by on-and-off tariffs. If you’re feeling pangs of financial anxiety, here is a primer on financial therapy and how it can help.