Financial Therapy to End Paycheck to Paycheck Living
Stop ghosting your bank account…
…and start owning your money story in a shame free zone.
Licensed in Oklahoma, Texas, Oregon & Florida | 100% Telehealth
“I Avoid My Bank Account…
…Because Checking It Feels Like Bracing for a Punch.”
You’re not lazy, irresponsible, or “bad with money.” You’ve just learned that every dollar has a story; one tangled up with stress, survival, or shame. Financial therapy helps you unpack those stories without judgment.
At Schuster Counseling Group, we understand that money touches everything: safety, self-worth, relationships, and identity. When your nervous system treats a credit-card statement like a threat, it’s not a character flaw, it’s your trauma talking.
We use trauma-informed, evidence-based therapy to help you calm your financial anxiety, stop avoidance cycles, and finally make confident, values-based choices with your money.
What is Trauma-Informed Financial Therapy?
Financial therapy blends mental-health treatment with financial wellness counseling to help you heal your relationship with money from the inside out.
Here’s what that looks like at SCG:
EMDR for Money Shame – We target the flashbacks, panic, or guilt that show up when you spend or save. EMDR helps your brain release old money scripts—like “I’ll never get ahead” or “I’m not responsible enough.”
Parts work for Money Parts – You’ll meet your internal Saver, Spender, Avoider, and Protector. Instead of letting them argue in your head, you’ll learn how to lead them from a grounded place of self-trust.
Mindful Budgeting & Behavior Change – We integrate gentle, practical tools like YNAB-style tracking and values-based spending plans. No rigid budgeting shame here—just awareness and choice.
Trauma-Informed Support – Whether your money story includes scarcity, debt, divorce, or family conflict, sessions are designed for safety and compassion, not judgment.
Financial therapy is where psychology meets practical finance; and where emotional healing finally connects to everyday habits.
how we can help
Clients often walk in saying things like:
“I make great money, but have no idea where it all goes”
“I avoid checking my balance because I can’t face it”
I keep promising Ill do better next month, and then I don’t”
After several sessions of trauma-informed financial therapy, they describe feeling:
Calm when checking their accounts.
Confident in how they spend, save, and communicate about money.
In control of their decisions instead of ruled by guilt, anxiety, or impulse.
Proud of building a plan that reflects their real values, not just survival mode.
Your Financial Therapy Roadmap
Every journey is customized, but here is a glimpse of the framework we will use together:
We start with awareness. You’ll complete a “7-day Money Audit” to track both spending and emotional reactions. You’ll notice patters that come up when you spend, save or avoid; and what emotions show up each time.
Explore & Track
Using EMDR, we identify early money memories and release the shame attached to them. This isn’t about reliving trauma—it’s about freeing yourself from the old stories that keep you stuck.
EMDR for Money Shame
We’ll meet and name the parts of you that handle money: the anxious Saver, the impulsive Spender, the protective Avoider. You’ll learn to lead these parts with confidence and compassion.
Money Parts Mapping
Together we design realistic systems—like weekly money check-ins, spending reflection prompts, or a values-based budget template—so new insights become lasting habits.
Practical Planning & Integration
This process transforms you financial stress into a roadmap for emotional growth and long-term stability.
Is Financial Therapy for YOU?
A high-earning professional who’s baffled by disappearing income.
A couple who can’t seem to discuss money without a fight.
A parent juggling childcare, bills, and burnout.
A recovering perfectionist who ties worth to productivity or income.
Anyone ready to stop repeating financial cycles and start feeling grounded with money.
Financial Therapy is a good fit if you’re
100% Telehealth | HIPAA-secure online sessions
Melinda S. Schuster, M.A, LPC-S, PMH-C | Certified YNAB Coach
Licensed in Oklahoma, Texas, Oregon & Florida
In-network: HealthChoice | WebTPA
Private pay: $200/session | Intake: $225 | Consults: Free.
Session Details:
I want you to know:
Change with money is possible.
You don’t have to live in fear of your bank balance or feel like you’ll never “get it right.” Healing your relationship with money starts with curiosity, not shame.
faqs
Financial Therapy
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Yes. Schuster Counseling Group is in-network with HealthChoice and WebTPA in Oklahoma. For other states, telehealth sessions are billed as therapy and may qualify for out-of-network reimbursement.
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There’s no “one-size-fits-all” timeline. Some clients notice small wins early on (like finally checking their bank app without panic) while others prefer ongoing support as they unlearn old patterns and build new ones. We’ll decide together what feels sustainable and supportive for you.
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Coaching focuses on tools and strategies. Therapy goes deeper: healing the emotional and psychological roots that make it hard to use those tools consistently.
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Nope. You don’t need a budget, a plan, or even a clue. You just need curiosity and a willingness to look at what’s really happening underneath.
Ready to rewrite your money story?