One of the biggest reasons people don’t seek therapy is money. People look at a therapist’s hourly rates — which might range from $100 to $250 — and immediately assume they can’t afford professional help. So they stop there.

But you do have various helpful options. Below, clinicians share, in no particular order, what you can do if you can’t afford treatment.

1. Check with your insurance.

“If you have insurance, ask your insurance plan to give you a list of providers who are either in your geographic area or who specialize in the issue you are seeking help with,” said Roberto Olivardia, Ph.D, a clinical psychologist and clinical instructor in the department of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. You might only have to pay a small co-pay, he said.

However, even if your insurance doesn’t cover therapy, get the details on what they do cover, said Julie A. Fast, a coach and author of Get It Done When You’re Depressed. For instance, your policy might still include the words “social worker,” she said.

College grads: Are you better off than you were four years ago?

Unfortunately, for many, the answer is a resounding “no.” Hordes of college grads have not acquired any skills that will enable them to get a decent job. And if that weren’t bad enough, they’re saddled with a mountain of debt that will be an albatross around their neck for decades to come.

With no prospects for the future, is it any wonder that so many college grads feel lost? This isn’t the way it was supposed to be. Higher education was supposed to be the best investment one could make to guarantee a solid future. Often they feel cheated, left asking “now what?”

I once met someone unexpectedly at a friend’s party. Surprisingly, we seemed to click and all that fun jazz ensued, so when he suggested that we have sushi at one of the restaurants he usually frequents, I safely presumed it was a date.

The dinner progressed smoothly, and when the check came (nobody really splurged, so it wasn’t super expensive), I did the whole “let me sift through my bag routine.”

Seconds went by, a couple of minutes probably passed, but I did not hear the “oh, don’t worry, I got it” line that I expected him to deliver. It was then when I realized that he was most definitely not going to pay the bill, and I would have to meet him halfway. I hid the embarrassment as best I could, but I couldn’t help but feel weirded out.

Are guys really no longer paying for the first date? Is this a thing?

What do you do when you’re stressed-out about losing your home, car, stocks, bonds, retirement savings, college funds, and everything else in the lyrics of a bad country song (Truck! Sorry forgot the truck)?

I don’t really know, to be completely honest. But here is an attempt to shed some light on some better ways to manage your financial stress and stop stressing so much about money.

1. Ignore Amy.

The amygdala, the almond shaped group of neurons in the limbic system of the brain, is considered by most neurobiologists our fear system, and it acts like an ape or a how a human would have acted, say, back when we still had lots of hair all over. The adrenaline that you are feeling when you see stock exchange plummet is the amydala getting crazy, hosting a party in your head, whatever. I call my amygdala “Amy.” And whenever I panic, I tell her to go take a nap, that I can’t tolerate her noise and ruckus right now.

I am so angry at him this morning, after our senseless spurt of fighting at 8 a.m. We both leave for work stewing over our prideful sense of self-righteousness, without releasing any words of apology. I, being right of course, solemnly promise myself to carry my bellyache forever, if needed, but not apologize first. During my drive to work, I can’t help but conduct in my head an amateur ping-pong match of the two opposing teams: his good vs. bad points.

Wham! Good quality No. 1: very funny.

He makes me laugh at things, at myself, and at him. He has that amazing ability to take himself seriously but not impose this attitude on others.

Boom! Bad quality No. 1: overly laid-back.

He can switch off his brain and tune out all of the short- and long-term worries that permanently reside in my mind. He can just lose himself in the cushiony softness of his favorite chair, stretch out his long legs, and listen to music or watch sports.

The other weekend, I re-read a fascinating book, Alfie Kohn’s Punished by Rewards: The Trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A’s, Praise, and Other Bribes.

I was thrilled to find discussion of some research that I’d thought about often, but had never been able to find again; I didn’t take notes on it and couldn’t remember where I’d seen it.

Eureka! There it was.

It’s very interesting research about how people value money and pay.

Money is a point of contention for many couples. It’s notorious for causing conflicts and ruining relationships. The problem? “Money is very central to people’s identity,” according to Jonathan Rich, Ph.D, psychologist and author of The Couple’s Guide to Love & Money.

It can represent everything from status to success to even self-worth, he said. And partners have the power to influence each other’s finances, which can trigger arguments and anger, he added.  

It also can reveal underlying problems between spouses. “If a couple lacks trust and has difficulty working together, these conflicts always play out financially,” Rich said.

To make matters worse, our shaky economy can create or perpetuate stress. “With the current economy, financial stress is a huge issue and it can easily divide a couple and lead to blame,” he said.

This guest article from YourTango was written by Mary Jo Rapini.  

“People are made to be loved and things are made to be used. The confusion in this world is that people are used and things are loved.” — Author Unknown.

I watched 20/20 last week with millions of others to see the aftermath of destruction that followed the scandal Bernie Madoff put in motion. The story depicted the results of greed, deception, narcissism, and destruction when you value money more than anything else. Closer to home, with the current economic situation, loss of jobs, loss of income, and loss of respect from a business you have worked for most of your life, it’s tough to find a balance.

When does stuff become too much? How much do we need to survive happily as a family?

Money is a major stressor. In fact, finances top the list as the biggest source of holiday strain, according to a recent Mental Health America survey. And it makes sense.

Take gift-giving, for instance. “Holiday gift giving is often a very public event, fraught with comparisons, excitement, and disappointment,” said Jonathan Rich, Ph.D., psychologist and author of The Couple’s Guide to Love & Money. Pricey presents tend to disappoint less, he said. “So we often go way over budget because it’s such a pleasure to give a thrilling gift and so distressing to give a gift that disappoints.”

Overspending for the holidays can leave you super stressed, in debt and pinching your pennies on the more important things. But you don’t have to feel like a slave to Santa’s wish list. Below are 10 ideas to help you reduce your spending, create a budget and fret less about your finances.

Consider these alarming statistics:

* By 2020, behavioral health disorders will surpass all physical diseases as a major cause of disability worldwide.

* Of the more than 6 million people served by state mental health authorities across the nation, only 21 percent are employed.

* More than half of adolescents in the United States who fail to complete high school have a diagnosable psychiatric disorder.

* Between 2009 and 2011 states cumulatively cut more than $1.8 billion from their budgets for services for children and adults living with mental illness.

* In 2009, there were an estimated 45.1 million adults aged 18 or older in the United States with any mental illness in the past year. This represents 19.9 percent of all adults in the U.S.

*Serious mental illnesses cost society $193.2 billion in lost earnings per year.

* The annual total estimated societal cost of substance abuse in the U.S. is $510 billion.

* In 2008, an estimated 9.8 million adults aged 18 and older in the U.S. has a serious mental illness.

With our economy still in the toilet, states and federal government threaten to cut even more dollars in mental health funding, which would result in less or no access to mental health treatment and services for countless Americans. Ultimately the cuts steal the one thing that keeps those of us struggling with chronic mood disorders alive: hope.

Advertising has a history of employing various tools and tricks to boost sales. Nowadays, thanks to sophisticated technology, “…businesses, marketers, advertisers, and retailers have gotten far craftier, savvier, and more sinister,” writes marketer and consumer advocate Martin Lindstrom in his book Brandwashed: Tricks Companies Use to Manipulate Our Minds and Persuade Us to Buy.

In it, Lindstrom reveals the many ploys companies use to seduce, soothe, tempt and scare us into buying their products. Here are a few tidbits from the book to help you become a smarter, sharper consumer.

1. They mix amusement with ads.

Some food companies disguise their ads as entertainment, which of course is especially appealing to kids. According to a 2009 report from the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University, the biggest cereal companies, General Mills, Kellogg’s and Post used games to peddle their least nutritious cereals.

For instance, Lucky Charms has a game on their website that lets kids track Lucky the Leprechaun’s various adventures, and Honey Nut Cheerios lets kids create a comic strip with the mascot BuzzBee.

Lindstrom says that using games as ads greatly benefits companies in important ways: “They allow marketers to circumvent the regulations on advertising junk food on television”; “they spread virally…[kids] unwittingly become guerrilla brand ambassadors; and “these games are inherently addictive in nature.”

A little while ago, I was laid off from my last job, and then this book called The Intuitive Investor shows up.

Pretty good timing, I’d say.

And while the topic would not be one I would normally pick up, I was especially intrigued by the combination of intuition and investment because, well, now I am back to being poor and could use all the financial advice I could get. So I decided to interview the author, Jason Apollo Voss.

1. While I understand intellectually how one needs to invest with the right and left brain, I need to know how exactly you get the two parts of your brain to work in tandem. My two brains like flipping each other the bird. How can I make them get along?

The short answer is to increase your consciousness about how you are making decisions. This is because scientifically it has been consistently demonstrated that there is no true physical distinction between the left and right brains.