Credit card debt is far more common than you may realize. Forty-six percent of American credit cardholders carry a balance from month to month, according to The Choice's 2025 Credit Card Debt Survey. All that added up to a whopping $1.21 trillion in U.S. credit card balances in the second quarter of 2025, according to a Federal Reserve Bank of New York report.
All that rising debt can put a strain on cardholders’ mental health. Almost half (43 percent) of U.S. adults say money has a negative impact on their mental health, at least occasionally, causing anxiety, stress, worrisome thoughts, loss of sleep, depression or other effects, according to The Choice's 2025 Money and Mental Health Survey.
However, there is help — if you want it. Your options include:
- Financial therapists
- Financial advisors
- Credit counselors
Below, we’ll cover the differences between the three and share insights from those who chose one, along with what drove their decisions.
When to choose a financial therapist
The role of a financial therapist is not to tell people how to manage their money, says Kate Dorman, certified financial therapist. “[It’s] to help them to better understand their relationship with money and empower them to confidently manage it.”
“Someone may choose a financial therapist because they want to:
- Break long-standing financial habits and develop healthy ones
- Reduce financial anxiety and stress
- Decrease feelings of financial shame
- Increase confidence in financial decision-making
- Create a financial path forward
- Change intergenerational money scripts
- Identify and establish financial boundaries
- Effectively communicate about money with a partner, friend, or family member.”
When to choose a financial advisor
While a therapist focuses on the emotional side of money, a financial advisor focuses on the mechanics. If you need help building a portfolio, planning for retirement, or managing immense wealth, an advisor is typically the right path.