Healing your relationship with money starts with compassion, not shame.
Get grounded, expert support to work through financial trauma and shift your money mindset—so you can move from avoidance and anxiety to clarity, confidence, and choice.
Tell me if any of this sounds familiar...
Financial trauma is real.
On the surface, these feelings can seem like they’re easy to fix.
So why can’t you get it together?
The reality is that it’s simply not that easy.
Living under White supremacist capitalist patriarchy is traumatizing—and financial trauma is one of the ways it shows up in our lives and businesses.
We’re taught to fix it with mindset hacks, like thinking abundant thoughts or raising our rates. Budget culture tells us it’s just about managing money better.
(And if you’ve tried those tactics, you probably already know the results are... mixed.)
Money mindset refers to our beliefs, decisions and behaviours around money.
Much of the time, money mindset is the logical, natural and normal result of financial trauma.
Because of that, without connection, understanding and care, financial trauma and money mindset won't shift.
Chances are you have experienced some sort of trauma around money and finances.
(All in great part thanks—no thanks!!—to the messed up money world we live in that is the result of intersecting systems of oppression including capitalism, White supremacy, consumerism, Calvinism, and more.)
Let’s face it, who hasn’t experienced money stress, guilt, shame and self-blame?
Trauma and stress shape beliefs around yourself and the world, affecting your sense of safety, trust, control, self-esteem, and intimacy.
When the trauma has to do with money, the beliefs that develop (usually outside of our conscious awareness) lead us to various painful disruptive money behaviours.
Without offering care to the beliefs so that they can change, financial strategies and behavioural tactics will only help superficially.
Here's how we can work together to create lasting change in your money mindset:
A four-phase journey to heal your relationship with money & reclaim your power.
This approach is grounded in nervous system care, somatic parts work, and values-based action. It gently guides you from overwhelm and avoidance into clarity, choice, and confidence.
We begin by building safety inside and out.
Through grounding, nervous system support, and guided reflection, you reconnect with yourself and your lived money experience... but without judgment. We identify the beliefs, memories, and emotional patterns you’ve been carrying, and create space to hold them with care.
Shift
From anxiety or shutdown → to calm, self-connected awareness.
We make room for possibility.
Together, we explore what you want money to mean in your life. You’ll begin to separate your truth from inherited narratives. We look at your goals, your values, and your longings... but without guilt. This is where you create a vision that aligns with your ethics, your needs, and your joy.
Shift
From old scripts and shame → to values-aligned vision and hope.
Practical steps, paced with compassion.
You’ll take stock of your current financial reality (income, expenses, subscriptions, debt, and more) without bypassing the emotional responses that might come up. Then, I gently support you as you take action. You choose the pace.
Shift
From avoidance or chaos → to thoughtful, self-directed financial action.
Healing is not a one-time fix. It’s an ongoing relationship.
You’ll learn how to return to your plan and your inner clarity without shame. We build in reflection, refinement, and celebration, so you can adjust when life changes and stay connected to yourself in the process.
Shift
From perfectionism or pressure → to sustainable stewardship and self-trust.
The Financial Self-Compassion Framework supports both the emotional roots and the practical realities of your financial life. It doesn’t ask you to hustle or suppress. It invites you to come home to yourself, then take action from that place.
You don’t need to be fixed. You just need a space where your financial story can be met with honesty, dignity, and care.
In the course of working with me, you will be supported to:
—Shula for short (she/her).
I work with women business owners who want to address and heal their relationship to money, so they can set a foundation for sustainable financial success in business and in life.
I get what you're going through as an entrepreneur and I'm trained to support you.
I am a certified Trauma of Money facilitator and a Certified Financial Social Worker. I'm also a licensed, Masters-level, trauma-trained therapist with 20+ years of professional experience in the field of mental health. Plus I'm an award-winning entrepreneur who has been working for herself since 1990.
The key to healing your relationship with money is supporting you to develop a warm and tender relationship with yourself.
Money elicits so many powerful emotions, not the least of which are shame, self-criticism and guilt.
A kind relationship with yourself supports you in taking a gentle, yet clear and honest look at your money stories, beliefs and behaviours. As Carl Rogers said,
"The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I change."
I integrate both counselling and coaching techniques in our work together, as well as social justice, somatics and spirituality. Because it's all connected, and systems of oppression play an important role in our money traumas.
Together we'll find what works for you and your relationship with your money. You'll have the responsibility for implementing the solutions, and I'll provide the support.
I am a certified Trauma of Money facilitator. The Trauma of Money method fosters decreased shame and increased discernment around money.
It's a compassionate approach to healing collective and individual money-related traumas so that you can create financial safety and well-being.
Financial therapy for money mindset and trauma includes education, compassionate inquiry and healing work. It is counselling focussed on healing the emotional and mental impact of money stress and trauma.
This is Not Financial Advice
It’s important to be clear that I am not a financial professional.
I am a mental health professional who is qualified to support your inquiry and healing process in relation to the emotional and mental aspects of your money challenges.
I’m a certified Trauma of Money facilitator, as well as a Certified Financial Social Worker and Certified Clinical Trauma Professional. I bring 10+ years of experience as a registered social worker psychotherapist to our work.
While I will provide you with resources and referrals as appropriate related to the following, it's important for you to know that I do not provide:
I recommend 2 appointments per month for a minimum of three months to set the foundation for change in your relationship to yourself and your money, accompanied by support between sessions.
My recommendation is based on the following:
Psychotherapy research conducted by the American Psychological Association indicates that, “on average, 15 to 20 sessions are required for 50 percent of patients to recover.” (In this context, what it means to recover was self-reported by clients.)
Ongoing dialogue around money supports implementation of the learning and insights that occur in session.
$1000* per month for a minimum of three months
*CAD or USD, depending on the currency in which you earn your living
If you're not earning CAD or USD, email me to discuss.
Payment plans are available at no additional charge.
Yes! I have a boutique practice and accept 1-2 new clients each month.
I work with women who own small businesses: founders, freelancers, entrepreneurs, consultants, service providers and creatives. Many of my clients are ambitious and capable who feel like they’re carrying too much. They come to me when the pressure to keep going on their own has started to cost them their wellbeing.
I work with clients all over the world, in person here at home in my local community of Merrickville, Ontario, and remotely with business owners elsewhere in Ontario, Canada, the US and Europe. Remote appointments are held by video using a secure telehealth platform, or by phone.
I am in the Eastern time zone. My office hours are from 10:30 am – 5:00 pm Eastern time on Tuesdays and 12:30pm to 5:00pm Eastern on Wednesdays. My hours of business can fit well with Pacific, Mountain, Central and Atlantic time zones, and for the UK & Western Europe if you prefer evening sessions.
If you are a resident in the province of Ontario, Canada, I can provide receipts for submission to your insurance company for reimbursement. Please verify the details of your extended health care benefits to ensure that social work services are included in your coverage.
If you are a resident of the province of Ontario, Canada, you can either submit my fees as a medical expense on your income tax return or write my fees off as a business consultation expense.
If you are not a a resident of the province of Ontario, Canada, my understanding is that you can write my fees off as a business consultation expense, but please verify with your accountant or tax advisor what would be the best option for your situation.
Yes. Everything you share is confidential. Even the fact that we are working together is confidential. That’s actually a huge benefit of therapy: you can say the unsayable and there won’t be any ripples out into the world unless you decide that’s needed. There are a few legal and ethical exceptions related mostly to safety that I’ll review with you in our first session.
Usually I am available for free calls on a weekly basis. You are welcome to book your first session at the time of the free call if that feels right (but there’s never any pressure) and most often can have our first appointment within a week.
No. All you need to work with me is to book a free call. If you are using your insurance to cover my fees (available only to residents of the province of Ontario, Canada), the insurance company may need a referral letter.
Research indicates that half of clients report they have made some progress within 15-20 sessions, and many factors can affect the frequency and duration of therapy.
At the end of each session, you will have an opportunity to decide on your progress and your needs. You determine when the work is complete.
Generally, unless there is a time-sensitive and emergent situation, clients book bi-weekly sessions.
Some business owners move faster and others decide they want a fractional chief mental health officer as a regular and ongoing member of their support team, the same as a bookkeeper would be, for example.
I offer session-by-session rates as well as packages for more wrap-around support.
My current fee range for individual sessions is $250-$350 (USD or CAD depending on the currency in which you earn your living). Learn more about fee ranges here.
More in-depth support starts at $1000/month. To learn more, book your free call here.
Coaches often focus on performance, goals, and business outcomes.
Therapy with me focuses on you: your emotions, your nervous system, your relationships with work, money, and leadership. It’s about creating space where you can be fully human, not just a producer of results. Learn more about the differences here.
I ask for a minimum of 48 hours’ notice if you need to cancel or reschedule. That way, I can offer the spot to someone else who may be waiting.
The first session is a chance to slow down. We’ll talk about what’s been going on, what you’d like support with, and what you hope to get out of therapy. At the end, I’ll offer some first steps you can implement outside of sessions, if that’s what would be helpful. The relationship is the foundation for all progress in therapy, so that’s where we will start: getting to know one another and building trust by creating a space that feels safe and useful for you.
Both. Talking things through can be powerful. I offer tools for nervous system regulation, parts work, and practical approaches you can use in daily life, as well as in-the-moment, inner-process-oriented support so you can root, reveal, reshape and rise into a version of success that supports you emotionally, mentally, and practically.
My work integrates somatic parts work, nervous system awareness, trauma-informed care, and decades of experience as both a therapist and entrepreneur. Everything I use has been demonstrated to help you feel steadier, kinder with yourself, and clearer in your leadership.
We’ll work with your nervous system, your patterns of overwork, and the emotional load of leadership. Together, we’ll create new ways of responding that let you rest, reset, and lead sustainably without losing your edge or your sense of purpose.
Entrepreneurship comes with unique stressors: money pressure, client demands, isolation, and the weight of being the one who holds it all. Therapy with me acknowledges that reality. I understand what it means to balance emotional needs with business decisions, because I’ve been there too.
That’s not uncommon. Finding the right fit matters. If we discover we’re not the right fit, I’ll support you in finding someone who is. Therapy is too important to settle for less.
That’s okay. You’re not locked in. You can stop at any time, and I’ll respect your decision. My hope is always that therapy feels like a resource, not another obligation.
The "Fine Print"
The work we will do together is focussed on supporting you, as a small business owner, with your emotional, mental and financial well being. Yes, life and business intersect and affect one another, and we will attend to those intersections, and business and money will be our focus. Although I am a Registered Social Worker in the province of Ontario, I do not provide psychotherapy or social work services to clients outside Ontario.
We will be engaging in counselling, meaning that:
1) I support you to explore the issues you bring forward and find solutions, and to identify both the strengths and needs you bring to any situation.
2) I provide you with resources and information relating to the issues you bring forward, and will explore and teach a variety of coping strategies.
The frameworks guiding our work together are rooted in the following non-clinical certifications and training: Certified Trauma of Money facilitator; Certified Resilience coach; Certified Inner Relationship Focusing Professional; Certified Trainer in Nonviolent Communication; Dare to Lead™ trained; Coaching Way (Tara Mohr) trained; Master of Arts in Counselling and Spirituality.
Let's explore working together. Book a free call here.
