A Certified Financial Social Work Counselor’s (CFSW) Thoughts on Money

1.  How do you define the term, “Living within your means?” First, you need to make sure you are spending less per month than you earn. Secondly, you need to insure that you are saving money for retirement and have at least a 6-month emergency fund. 2.  What is the difference of “living within your means” and “living below your means”? I think of living below your means as saving a substantial amount of money... beyond the 6 month emergency fund, retirement, and any other basic savings necessities. 3.  Can you provide at least five tips a person can use…
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Work and Leisure?

Weisure is the term.  It refers to the mix of work and leisure.  Since virtually everyone is connected, it is so difficult to leave work at work.  Is it a bad thing? Many say that work has become fun and is a huge joy in life.  Why not mix work and leisure? It could be more productive and satisfying. I enjoy technology and am guilty of weisure on a regular basis.  However, balance is the key. If one obsesses over his or her work, this lack of relaxation is destructive.  It is important to be able to find a way…
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Depression in a Partner – How To Cope

/ Guest Post / By Eve Pearce Depression is a major problem in Western society, affecting more and more people every year. When a partner is afflicted with this horrible disease, it can put a huge strain on a relationship. While one partner becomes emotionally withdrawn, unmotivated, and perpetually sad, the other may become worried, frustrated, or wonder if this change is permanent and the person they love is lost forever. Depression is still a misunderstood condition. Its attendant emotions are very difficult for someone not suffering from it to comprehend, and even harder to witness in a loved one.…
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Rise of Opiate Use Is Not the Answer to Relive Stress

/ Guest Post / By Eve Pearce According to figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2010 12 million people in the US used opiate drugs for purposes other than pain relief. Abuse of prescription drugs such as morphine, oxycodone and codeine is a far bigger problem than use of heroin and many people are turning to opiates as a way to help them deal with stress. Prescription opiates are able to do this, as although they take longer to reach the brain than injected heroin, once there they exert similar effects. In the central nervous system these drugs…
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Clinical Psychotherapy

I often hear people saying that they do not want to have a clinical experience with therapy.  I am told that people of think of a sterile room with a cold therapist who only says “how does that make you feel?”  Another thought is that therapy is a procedure. The client sits there and is changed…much as the idea of how a car is dropped off at a mechanic.  Again, this is not true. Then what is therapy? First of all, the client is in charge.  It is important to focus on what the client feels will be helpful.  Yes,…
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The Wealthy Could Even Benefit from Financial Counseling

My wife and I recently went to the Biltmore Estate.  In case you are not familiar, it is the largest privately owned house in the United States at over 175,000 square feet. I found it amazing that the Vanderbilts, who are an incredibly wealthy family who built the estate, were unable to afford to maintain their estate during the Depression.  In order to raise funds, they opened their house for tours.  In 1956, the family relocated and turned the house into a museum that charged for admission, presumably because the maintenance cost was too high. As I learned more about…
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Mental Health First Aid

I recently became certified as a Mental Health First Aid instructor. I am looking forward to helping the Lafayette Indiana Community increase awareness of mental health issues and train community members to help those in need. What is Mental Health First Aid?  According to www.MentalHealthFirstAid.org “Mental Health First Aid is a groundbreaking public education program that helps the public identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance use disorders. Mental Health First Aid USA is managed, operated, and disseminated by three national authorities — the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare, the Maryland Department of Health and…
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“I Don’t Believe in Counseling”

I sometimes hear people say, “I don’t believe in counseling.” I can’t completely understand this statement. Essentially, counseling consists of talking about problems and finding a better way to work through them. It is also designed to help you to find ways to improve yourself and is not always problem focused. Self improvement can be quite amazing! What is there to “not believe in?” The person does not believe in talking? Or suggestions or changing ways of thinking and behaving? If a person says they do not believe in medications, I can somewhat understand that, but depending on the situations,…
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Rules for Fair Fighting: Couples Therapy

This is used in couples therapy to help my clients have productive conversations.  If you can follow these rules, you are much more likely to have productive discussions. 1. Decide upon a time of day and time limit before you begin and stick to it. Make this session last around 20 minutes-don't overdo it. If you don't finish in that allotted time, schedule another time the next day. 2. Decide how many “zaps” you'll permit before you (or the other) walk out. A zap is a hurtful remark, an insult, a threat, a sarcastic dig and so on. Any attempt…
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