Source: Sonya Britt, 785-532-3541 or sbritt@k-state.edu
Website: http://www.financialtherapyassociation.org
News release prepared by: Beth Bohn, 785-532-2535, bbohn@k-state.edu

Friday, July 2, 2010

TOP FINANCIAL THERAPISTS COMING TO K-STATE FOR ANNUAL MEETING OF FINANCIAL THERAPY ASSOCIATION

MANHATTAN -- Financial therapy experts from across the nation will be among the speakers and presenters at the annual conference of the Financial Therapy Association, Sept. 13-15, at Kansas State University.

Conference registrations are now being accepted through Aug. 15 at http://www.financialtherapyassociation.org.

Financial therapy is a blending of financial counseling with therapy to help individuals, couples and families struggling both financially and emotionally. Members of the Financial Therapy Association study the cognitive, emotional, behavioral, relational, economic and integrative aspects of financial wellness.

"Our members include individuals from around the world who blend aspects of financial planning, financial counseling, marriage and family therapy, sociology, social work and psychology," said K-State's Sonya Britt, president of the Financial Therapy Association. "The association has more than 100 practicing financial therapists and financial therapy researchers as members."

The association was created earlier this year. Britt, who is an assistant professor for K-State's Institute of Personal Financial Planning and a financial therapist at K-State's Financial Therapy Clinic, is one of three K-State faculty members serving as founding members of the association's board.

"Because financial therapy is an integral part of K-State's personal financial planning program, it's not surprising our annual conference is at K-State. The university's Institute of Personal Financial Planning was among the first in the nation to open a clinic offering financial therapy," said Britt, who is an accredited financial counselor and certified retirement counselor.

Also serving on the Financial Therapy Association's board are Kristy Archuleta, co-director of K-State's Financial Planning Clinic and an assistant professor of family studies and human services, and John Grable, the Vera Mowery McAninch Professor of Human Development and Family Studies and director of K-State's Institute of Personal Financial Planning. Archuleta serves as the board's research liaison, while Grable is treasurer.

Among the keynote speakers for the conference will be Saundra Davis, a financial planning and management consultant with Sage Financial Solutions in San Francisco, Calif., and Ted Klontz of the Klontz Consulting Group in Nashville, Tenn. Klontz is a recognized pioneer in the emerging field of financial psychology.

The conference also will offer optional tours of K-State's Financial Therapy Clinic, which opened in downtown Manhattan in early 2009, and Powercat Financial Counseling, K-State's financial counseling service for students, in the K-State Student Union.

Conference registration costs $149 for professionals. The student rate is $75 for the conference and meals, and no charge for students who attend conference sessions only.

More information is available by contacting Britt at 785-532-3541 or sbritt@k-state.edu. Additional information also is available at the association's website, http://www.financialtherapyassociation.org.