1. Can you give our audience an overview of your program?

NS: Yes. Our program, unlike traditional workshops in budgeting and financial management, directly addresses battered women's fear of money - fears that can be particularly crippling and acute, and that can often block their path to financial stability and health.

JAC: Along with practical tools to help make money management accessible and fun, we give women psychological insights and understandings to help them acknowledge and cope with their fears of managing their own money.

NS: We believe that if survivors are able to achieve financial health, they are less likely to return to abusive situations and partners.

2. Tell me about the women you have worked with.

NS: As an example, a recent workshop included 17 women from diverse ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds in varying stages of re-establishing their lives. Some had recently left their abusive relationship moving into a shelter's transitional housing unit, while others were about to move from the shelter's transitional housing unit out into their own apartment.

3. What were some of the issues that came up during the workshop?

JAC: As expected what we saw were issues around self-worth or as we like to call it "self-ability." One's perception of what they are "able" to do. These women were so mired in what was "wrong" with them, their perceived failures and weaknesses, they carried that way of thinking forward into the area of managing their money.

They reinforced this with their negative self-talk: I never managed money before; I can't face it.

NS: And many shared the common myth that postponing "dealing with money" would bring them ease and by them time.

JAC: Also what was fascinating - truly inspirational to us - is that the courage these women demonstrated by leaving the abusive situation came shining through and that same courage helped them navigate their way to "self-ability."

NS: Once we helped them to understand their various ways of thinking about money - their negative self-talk, identified their values and created a powerful future based on what they were becoming, most of them took on the responsibility (and ultimate rewards) that "self-ability" allows.

4. You obviously dealt with many issues. Tell me a bit more about the overall approach you used?

NS: We took a holistic approach by combining who they were with who they chose to become and created a stretch-make able vision for the future. We clarified values, set goals and discussed the many pitfalls they would encounter. Importantly, we established "reality" around the journey of what they were moving towards.

JAC: Just because they had new understandings did not mean that the world turns rosy -- into Technicolor. Old habits die a hard-fought death. Our habits provide us with a sense of comfort, a sense of knowing what to expect and in many way helps us abdicate our responsibilities.

So as these women went forward they could expect bumps in the road. They could expect their negative self-talk to perhaps get louder at times - especially times where they are afraid - when money is scarce, when bill collectors call, when their children want something they can't provide. The key is to not have all of that represent the truth - but rather just a moment in time - and to get back to following their goals and vision for the future.

NS: An interesting observation here, Bill - as incredible as these women are and as special as we know them to be, what we saw this group experiencing - is the same with many, many other women as well - regardless of their socio-economic or ethnic background. As unusual as these women thought their fears are - they aren't. It is very common.

5. Did you find any other unusual ways of thinking?

NS: Yes we did. One of the key ways of thinking that we have seen over and over is the gap between what people call "their life" and "their finances." In some mystical sort of way they think one is divorced from the other. They view their finances as being over here and their life being over there.

I think in some measure it is a way to separate ourselves from a fearful and painful arena - the old Fear of Money arena. So many women think they can postpone dealing with their money while they are getting on with their life.

JAC: When in reality, helping women understand that how they deal with their money directly affects how they live their life - their ability to create their vision, achieve their goals, fully embrace the person they are becoming - is a rewarding challenge. Because when they get that all of that, they now have strong motives to work our program.

6. Let's talk a bit about the results of the program. What can you share about that?

JAC: The results were extraordinary. On a personal basis, seeing this women use the financial tools we provided, seeing them actually excited about managing money, saving money, talking to their children about money was amazing. The people who run the facility saw positive attitudes around money develop, partnership and support among the women increase and a real focus on being financially solvent occur.

NS: They also learned how important a budget was to their future, not to be afraid of money and how to think positively about it.

JAC: They learned how to counter their negative self-talk and the importance and the "how to" of staying focused on the future they were creating.

NS: They understood about creating emergency funds and savings, why they should create two savings accounts and using the tools we provided to keep track of all their expenditures.

JAC: A great tool they took and were using is something Nancy developed: making special appointment on their calendar to do their bills.

NS: This freed them up to concentrate on other things because they were taking care of what needed to be taken care of.

JAC: Perhaps, the best feed back of all was that they had an ever-developing sense of power that they could now manage their money.

NS: They understood the financial tools and how to use them to their benefit.

JAC: And they gained a rich understanding of the emotional tools they could use when negative emotions threatened their progress.