Therapists, Rates, Fee Guilt, & Sense of Worth
Money is rarely just about money. It can touch some of our most vulnerable questions:
Am I asking for too much?
Am I doing enough?
Am I selfish for wanting stability?
Am I failing someone if they cannot afford my rate?
Therapists are not immune to these questions or hang-ups.
In our work, money enters the room in countless ways:
Setting rates
Raising fees
Offering sliding-scale spots
Enforcing cancellation policies
Taking insurance
Leaving insurance panels
Naming what our time and expertise cost
These decisions can become tangled with our values, our identities as helpers, and our sense of worth.
This gathering offers a supportive space for therapists to talk honestly about money, fees, guilt, and the emotional complexity of charging for care.
Together, we will make space for questions such as:
What makes it difficult to set, communicate, or raise our rates?
How does money become connected to worth, identity, or being a “good” therapist?
How do we navigate the tension between making therapy accessible and sustaining ourselves?
What helps others hold financial boundaries that might feel difficult?
This is not a workshop on calculating the “right” fee. It is an opportunity to come together with other therapists around this sensitive issue and learn from each other.
Our hope in holding this space is that therapists leave feeling less alone in the complicated emotions that money can bring into clinical work, and more supported in making choices that honor both their care for clients and their own sustainability.
You do not need to arrive with answers or a resolved relationship with money. Come as you are, with whatever questions, discomfort, or experiences you are carrying.
This free community gathering will be facilitated by Ann Dypiangco, LCSW, Clinical Community Lead at Mental Health Match.
Ann Dypiangco, LCSW, is a therapist who believes that tending to the inner lives of clinicians is essential to sustaining the work, especially around topics that carry weight, like money, worth, and the realities of building a practice. With over 15 years of experience as a clinician, supervisor, and consultant, she now serves as the Clinical Community Lead at Mental Health Match, creating spaces for therapist connection, reflection, and community care. Ann also co-writes Therapist Brief, a weekly newsletter blending grounded research, tech trends, and thoughtful conversation for clinicians navigating the complexities of modern practice.