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If you've been coaching for any length of time, you've probably experienced this. A client introduces you as their financial therapist or thanks you for their financial therapy session. It might seem like a compliment, but there's something important we need to address.
Money is deeply emotional. When we help clients work through their financial challenges, we're often helping them process feelings like shame, fear, anxiety, and guilt. This emotional component can make our work feel therapeutic, even though we're not providing therapy.
But there's an important distinction between what we do as financial coaches and what therapists do. Understanding that difference actually makes us better at our job and helps us serve our clients more effectively.
Some coaches feel uncomfortable when clients call them therapists because they worry about overstepping professional boundaries. Others feel flattered and take it as a sign they're providing meaningful support. Both responses make sense, but these moments are actually opportunities.
When someone calls you their financial therapist, it's a chance to help them understand what coaching really is and set clear expectations about how you work together. And it’s important to be crystal clear about your role and be confident in what you do (and don’t do).
This isn't about diminishing the support we offer or making our work seem less meaningful. Financial coaching absolutely changes lives. It's about being intentional with our professional boundaries in a way that actually serves our clients better.
The coaches who thrive understand when their clients might need something they can't provide, and they see making referrals as professional integrity, not failure. They've learned how to acknowledge the emotional aspects of money while staying firmly within their coaching role.
Being clear about the distinction between coaching and counseling doesn't take away from what we do. It actually helps us do it better.
Links & Resources:
Key Takeaways:
5
101101 ratings
If you've been coaching for any length of time, you've probably experienced this. A client introduces you as their financial therapist or thanks you for their financial therapy session. It might seem like a compliment, but there's something important we need to address.
Money is deeply emotional. When we help clients work through their financial challenges, we're often helping them process feelings like shame, fear, anxiety, and guilt. This emotional component can make our work feel therapeutic, even though we're not providing therapy.
But there's an important distinction between what we do as financial coaches and what therapists do. Understanding that difference actually makes us better at our job and helps us serve our clients more effectively.
Some coaches feel uncomfortable when clients call them therapists because they worry about overstepping professional boundaries. Others feel flattered and take it as a sign they're providing meaningful support. Both responses make sense, but these moments are actually opportunities.
When someone calls you their financial therapist, it's a chance to help them understand what coaching really is and set clear expectations about how you work together. And it’s important to be crystal clear about your role and be confident in what you do (and don’t do).
This isn't about diminishing the support we offer or making our work seem less meaningful. Financial coaching absolutely changes lives. It's about being intentional with our professional boundaries in a way that actually serves our clients better.
The coaches who thrive understand when their clients might need something they can't provide, and they see making referrals as professional integrity, not failure. They've learned how to acknowledge the emotional aspects of money while staying firmly within their coaching role.
Being clear about the distinction between coaching and counseling doesn't take away from what we do. It actually helps us do it better.
Links & Resources:
Key Takeaways:
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