Intro to the self of the financial therapist Flashcards
What was the educational presentation ‘Identifying Relational and Financial Abuse’ about?
The presentation covered essential concepts related to financial therapy and abuse, emphasizing the need for financial therapists to recognize various forms of abuse, including sexual, psychological, religious, and financial abuse. It highlighted the prevalence of these issues through the lens of the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) study and detailed specific behaviors associated with financial abuse, such as control and manipulation. Participants learned about the limited academic literature on financial abuse, the importance of distinguishing between illegal and improper financial behaviors, and the vital role therapists play in addressing these complexities.
What types of abuse were highlighted in the ‘Identifying Relational and Financial Abuse’ presentation?
The presentation covered:
* Sexual abuse
* Psychological and emotional abuse
* Religious and spiritual abuse
* Financial abuse
What are some specific examples and themes in financial abuse?
Key themes in financial abuse include:
* Control
* Manipulation
* Secrecy
Financial abuse can occur across different family relationships.
What should financial therapists recognize about different forms of abuse?
Financial therapists should recognize that multiple forms of abuse can occur simultaneously.
What are some key aspects of assessing financial abuse?
Assessment involves:
* Considering the limited academic literature on financial abuse
* Identifying potential entitlement issues
* Differentiating between illegal and improper financial behaviors
* Considering relational assessment elements
What is the role of the financial therapist in addressing abuse?
The financial therapist plays a vital role in addressing abuse. Self-reflection is also important for financial therapists.
What are the learning objectives of the video ‘An Introduction to Self-of-the-Financial Therapist’?
Participants will be able to:
* Define ‘transference’ and ‘countertransference’ in the context of financial therapy
* Define ‘self-of-the-therapist’ and ‘self-of-the-financial therapist’ (SOTFT)
* Outline how personal past experiences, triggers, blind spots, biases, personality traits, and money scripts can affect the work of a financial therapist
* Outline why your own money work and personal awareness matters.
Define ‘transference’ in the context of financial therapy.
Transference is how clients may relate to therapists as if they were someone from their past. Processing transference may help resolve the clients’ past pain.
Define ‘countertransference’ in the context of financial therapy.
Countertransference is how therapists may respond to a client based on another past relationship. Processing countertransference can help you avoid projecting your personal difficulties into the therapeutic process.
What are the risks of being unaware of transference and countertransference?
If unaware, therapists risk:
* Acting out repressed emotions and needs
* Unconsciously neglecting or exploiting clients
* Finding it more difficult to maintain appropriate boundaries
Clients may also be resistant or even hostile to the work.
What is ‘self-of-the-therapist’?
It is important that therapists resolve unfinished family of origin issues.
What does ‘self-of-the-therapist’ entail, according to the Satir model?
It entails being aware of one’s inner process, accepting of what is, knowing one’s self, and looking at possibilities, rather than self-disclosure.
What is ‘person-of-the-therapist’?
Person-of-the-therapist work is the willingness of a therapist to participate in a process that requires introspective work on issues in his or her own life, that has an impact on the process of therapy in both positive and negative ways.
What is the goal of ‘person-of-the-therapist’ work?
The goal is to learn how to consciously and strategically use the self in therapy, through exploring our signature themes.
Define ‘self-of-the-financial therapist’ (SOTFT) according to Klontz, Kahler, & Klontz (2010).
Self-of-the-financial therapist means exploring our own interior and exterior financial health.
Define ‘self-of-the-financial therapist’ (SOTFT) according to the Financial Therapy Association.
Self-of-the-financial therapist involves the process of exploring one’s own relationship with money by attending to the emotional, psychological, behavioral, and relational experiences that have shaped a person throughout their lives.
What does the FTA’s definition of SOTFT entail?
It entails:
* Understanding and changing your own self-limiting beliefs around money and harmful financial behaviors
* Exploring your financial history
* Finding the underlying reasons for worries about money
* Exploring the impact of race, culture, spirituality, gender, and personal values
* Attending to your exterior financial health
What are ‘money scripts’?
Money scripts are the unconscious beliefs each of us have developed concerning money. They are shaped by financial socialization and are usually partly true but can become problematic if extreme.
What are the four types of money scripts?
The four types of money scripts are:
* Money avoidance
* Money worship
* Money status
* Money vigilance
What are ‘financial flashpoints’?
Financial flashpoints are when money scripts are developed in response to emotionally charged, dramatic, or traumatic personal, family, or cultural events.
Why does ‘self-of-the-financial therapist’ matter?
Modeling healthy relationships with money is valuable. By taking the journey ourselves, we can better empathize with our client(s)’ journey.
What is ‘congruence’ in the context of therapy (Satir model)?
Congruence is conceptualized as a state of awareness, openness, and connection in three human dimensions: the interpsychic, interpersonal, and universal spiritual.
According to the person-of-the-therapist model, how can past negative experiences impact therapy?
Our past negative experiences can actually aid the therapeutic process if we do the introspective work.
What is transference in the context of financial therapy?
Transference is when clients unconsciously project feelings onto the financial therapist, usually related to feelings about an important person from their childhood or a more recent relationship.
How does transference manifest in a financial therapy setting?
Clients may immediately like or dislike the therapist because they remind them of someone else, project feelings from past relationships onto the therapist, or relate to the therapist as if they were someone from their past.
What is countertransference in financial therapy?
Countertransference occurs when the financial therapist projects their own feelings onto clients in a similar way, based on the therapist’s past relationships or unresolved issues.
How might countertransference negatively impact the financial therapy process?
It may cause therapists to use sessions for their own needs, dominate over someone who reminds them of someone dominating in their past, protect or flirt with someone who reminds them of someone they loved, or neglect/exploit clients to meet their own needs.
What are the risks of being unaware of transference and countertransference?
Risks include acting out repressed emotions in indirect and potentially harmful ways, neglecting clients’ needs, exploiting clients, maintaining inappropriate boundaries, and clients becoming resistant, hostile, or dropping out of therapy.
How can practitioners address countertransference?
By doing their own personal work outside client sessions, finding a peer, trusted colleague, or supervisor to discuss feelings with safely, and processing feelings like shame, anger, and rejection.
How can practitioners address transference from clients?
By talking about it directly in session, normalizing the process, helping clients find the roots of the transference, suggesting they talk with another counselor if needed, and pointing out differences between the therapist and the person from their past.
What is ‘self-of-the-therapist’ according to Virginia Satir’s model?
It refers to therapists becoming more congruent people by dealing with unfinished business from their past and focusing on their own health and self-care.
How does Satir define ‘congruence’ in the self-of-the-therapist concept?
Congruence is a state of awareness, openness, and connection in three human dimensions: the interpsychic, interpersonal, and universal spiritual.
How does self-of-the-therapist differ from self-disclosure?
Self-of-the-therapist is not about self-disclosure, which can take away from client explorations.
What practice does the Satir model encourage to help therapists become more emotionally available?
The practice of centering before sessions.
According to Satir, why is it important for therapists to be congruent?
When therapists are congruent, they can relate with clients without using projections and operate from a state of harmony and presence.
Why did Satir strongly support self-care for therapists?
She believed to be a fully congruent therapist, one must be mentally, physically, and spiritually healthy themselves.
What is the ‘person-of-the-therapist’ approach developed by Harry Aponte?
It emphasizes that past negative experiences can aid the therapeutic process if therapists do introspective work.
What are ‘signature themes’ in Aponte’s model?
Core emotional wounds or patterns from a therapist’s life that help them relate to clients’ pain.
How does Aponte’s model view a therapist’s personal struggles?
As potential assets that can be strategically used in therapy when consciously addressed.
According to the person-of-the-therapist model, do therapists need to fully resolve all their personal issues?
No, therapists don’t have to resolve all their issues, but must face them to be effective.
What question does Aponte suggest therapists reflect on regarding their personal issues?
‘What of me is affecting the therapeutic process?’
How does working through one’s own emotional pain benefit the therapeutic process?
It helps therapists empathize with clients’ pain and address issues or make appropriate referrals.
How did Klontz, Kahler, and Klontz initially describe self-of-the-financial-therapist?
As ‘exploring one’s own interior and exterior financial health.’
What is the FTA’s expanded definition of self-of-the-financial-therapist?
‘Self-of-the-financial-therapist involves exploring one’s own relationship with money by attending to emotional, psychological, behavioral, and relational experiences.’
What are the components of self-of-the-financial-therapist as defined by the FTA?
- Understanding and changing self-limiting money beliefs and harmful financial behaviors
- Exploring one’s financial history and formative experiences
- Finding underlying reasons for money worries, shame, secrets, and fears
- Exploring impacts of race, culture, spirituality, gender, and personal values
- Attending to one’s exterior financial health
What are ‘money scripts’ and how do they relate to self-of-the-financial-therapist?
Money scripts are unconscious beliefs about money shaped by financial socialization, which can become problematic.
What are the four types of money scripts identified by Klontz et al.?
- Money avoidance
- Money worship
- Money status
- Money vigilance
What are ‘financial flashpoints’ and how do they relate to money scripts?
Financial flashpoints are emotionally charged events where money scripts are developed in response.
How might a financial therapist’s own money scripts impact their work with clients?
They can create triggers or blind spots that affect the therapeutic relationship.
According to research cited in the video, what percentage of change in therapy is based on the quality of the relationship with clients?
Approximately 30%.
Why is self-exploration important for financial therapists?
To work ethically and effectively, financial therapists need to explore past experiences and biases.
How does the concept ‘You need to put your oxygen mask on first before you care for others’ apply to financial therapy?
Financial therapists need to model being financially healthy themselves before helping clients.
How does self-of-the-financial-therapist work benefit the practitioner personally?
Practitioners experience personal and professional changes that benefit them directly.
How does working on one’s own money issues enhance empathy with clients?
It allows financial therapists to empathize with and access clients’ money selves.
Why does the ‘most significant aspect that you bring to therapy is you’ quote matter for financial therapists?
It emphasizes the importance of self-awareness and self-work in the therapeutic relationship.
How might a money avoidance script impact a mental health therapist’s work with clients?
It could cause them to shy away from financial conversations.
How might a money vigilance script impact a financial professional’s work with clients?
It might cause frustration when working with financially avoidant clients.
In Dr. McCoy’s personal example, how did her student loan experience impact her as a practitioner?
It cemented her money avoidance and caused disengagement during financial discussions.
How did Dr. McCoy’s money scripts create counter-transference in her work?
Her view of herself as financially incompetent led to unrealistic expectations of financial professionals.
What aspects of self-awareness might help a financial therapist avoid projection and counter-transference?
Awareness of personal money scripts, financial flashpoints, and biases.
How might a financial therapist’s own financial health impact their credibility with clients?
It enhances their ability to model and teach healthy financial behaviors.
How can a financial therapist’s awareness of their own culture, race, gender, and socioeconomic background enhance their work?
It helps ensure these factors become attributes rather than detriments to their work.
