Meet Rachel Duncan, a financial and art therapist based in Denver, Colorado. Through her company, The Money Healing Club, Rachel helps clients work through their money related trauma and form a healthier relationship with their finances. Her career journey took many twists and turns until she finally realized what her real passion was: financial therapy. Rachel offers one-on-one therapy and a group membership. Through this work, she helps people think and talk about money more openly, work towards financial goals, and set boundaries around money. The work she does with people helps them to realize where their trauma around money comes from and how they can begin the healing process.
Key takeaways:
Money is neutral-our feelings about money are a trauma response based on situations or people in our lives.
Art therapy is a great way to help people work towards breaking down these trauma responses and form a healthier relationship with money.
Financial therapy is really trauma work!
A client can only go as far in therapy as their therapist has gone themselves-if a therapist who has not worked on their own financial trauma will have a difficult time helping others.
“Noble poverty” is something that is systemic and is institutionalized. It indoctrinates people in the helping field to believe that their work should not be equally paid in comparison to other professions with the same level of education.
The mental health profession attracts people who truly want to help others and thus are more likely to undervalue their work which ultimately makes it more difficult for them to be good therapists!
Who are we to say what someone else can afford?
If asking for a higher rate makes you uncomfortable, then find some ways to give back to your community outside of your private practice work.
Rachel’s links: