Christian Therapists: It’s Time to Let Go of the Guilt Around Charging for Your Services

Jun 5

If you’re a Christian therapist or counselor, chances are you’ve felt some version of this:

“I know I’ve spent years training, investing in my education, and growing as a clinician…
but I still feel uncomfortable charging what I’m worth.”

“What if I’m being selfish? Shouldn’t ministry be free?”

“Jesus didn’t charge people—why should I?”

If any of that resonates with you, you’re not alone.

Many faith-based therapists are quietly carrying guilt and shame around money—and it’s hurting not only their income, but their well-being, their confidence, and their long-term ability to serve.

Let’s talk about why this guilt exists… and why it’s time to heal from it.

Where the Guilt Comes From: Trauma from Culture, Church, and Upbringing

Most Christian therapists didn’t grow up in homes or churches where healthy conversations about money and ministry were modeled.

Instead, many absorbed messages like:

“Ministry is about sacrifice, not income.”
“If you’re doing God’s work, you shouldn’t expect to get paid for it.”
“It’s wrong to profit from someone else’s pain.”

These narratives sound noble. But in reality, they create deep confusion for people called to healing work—especially therapists, coaches, and counselors whose work exists in the overlap of care and compensation.

You may have been told (directly or indirectly) that:

Money is worldly
Charging for help is greedy
Making a living from ministry is self-serving

These beliefs get stored in the body as money trauma—a dysregulated emotional response to something as basic as receiving fair compensation.

And over time, they quietly erode your ability to set boundaries, charge your worth, and sustain your practice without burning out.

The Problem with Undervaluing Your Work

When guilt drives your pricing, you start making decisions from fear rather than stewardship. This often leads to:

Chronic undercharging
Overwork and exhaustion
Resentment toward clients who “take advantage”
Difficulty saying no to sliding scales or late cancellations
Struggling to pay your own bills or invest in growth

And ironically, it can limit your impact.

You start to believe that the only way to be faithful is to stay small, broke, or burdened.

But Scripture never calls us to poverty as proof of holiness.

Instead, God calls us to faithful stewardship—of our gifts, our resources, our time, and our calling.

A Biblical Reframe on Money and Ministry

Let’s shift our lens for a moment. Here's what Scripture actually teaches:

“The worker deserves his wages.” – Luke 10:7
“You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain.” – 1 Timothy 5:18
Jesus accepted provision and hospitality from those He served.
Paul, though he sometimes declined payment, defended the right of those who preached and taught to earn a living from their work.

The point is not to “charge more to prove a point.”
The point is to untangle the lie that being paid for God-honoring work is somehow shameful.

Your training, your emotional labor, your discernment, your listening ear, your clinical expertise—they all have value. And when people invest financially in the work of healing, they often engage more seriously.

Charging fairly is not exploitation. It’s alignment.

What You’re Really Charging For

You’re not charging for the gospel.

You’re not charging for prayer, or for God’s love, or for someone’s salvation.

You’re charging for:

Your professional expertise
Your time and preparation
Your licensing, liability, and compliance
Your emotional labor
Your practice overhead
Your personal boundaries

Your work may be ministry, but it’s also a business—and both can honor God.

Replacing Guilt with Stewardship

If you’re feeling stuck in guilt or fear around money, try this mindset shift:

From: “I shouldn’t get paid for helping.”
To: “I honor God and others by showing up fully—and charging accordingly so I can sustain that calling.”

From: “Ministry should be free.”
To: “Healing work is sacred—and sacred things are worth investing in.”

From: “I feel bad asking for payment.”
To: “When clients invest in therapy, they’re also honoring their own healing.”

You can be generous and responsible. You can serve deeply and sustain your family. You can be ministry-minded and business-savvy.

Three Practical Steps to Start Healing Your Money Mindset

1. Name the Money Messages You Inherited

Take some time this week to journal:

What did I learn about money growing up?
What was I taught (explicitly or implicitly) in church about money and service?
How do those beliefs show up in my practice today?

Naming these stories gives you power over them.

2. Ask God for a Renewed Mindset

Bring your finances into prayer. Not just your needs—but your mindset.

Try praying this:
“Lord, help me untangle guilt from calling. Help me see myself the way You do—not as someone taking advantage, but as someone stewarding what You’ve entrusted to me.”

Ask the Holy Spirit to renew your thinking around worth, rest, and provision.

3. Revisit Your Rates with Fresh Eyes

Look honestly at your rates:

Do they reflect your expertise and training?
Are they sustainable long-term?
Are they rooted in fear or faith?

Consider this: Raising your rates may not be greedy—it might be the most faithful thing you can do to protect your energy and increase your impact.

Remember, you’re not just working in your business—you’re building something God can bless and expand.

Final Thought: You’re Worthy of Wholeness, Too

You help your clients heal from shame, scarcity, and survival mode.
So why live there yourself?

God didn’t call you into this work to burn out or struggle to make ends meet.

He called you to be a vessel of healing, and vessels need to be cared for, filled up, and protected.

You’re not greedy for charging.
You’re wise for creating space to serve from overflow, not exhaustion.

You’re not selfish for valuing your time.
You’re faithful for recognizing that a thriving practice blesses everyone around you—your family, your clients, and the Kingdom.

Let’s Continue the Conversation:

Have you ever struggled with guilt around charging for your services?
What beliefs did you grow up with around money and ministry?
How are you reworking your mindset to reflect freedom, not fear?

Share this with a therapist friend who needs this encouragement today.