Welcome to the

Institute for Systemic Financial Professionals™

A future where financial advisors, planners, coaches, educators, and financial therapists are equipped to address the multiple dimensions of money, fostering wellness and systemic insight across generations.

Founder, Dr. Sonya Lutter, created the Institute for Systemic Financial Professionals™ based on her marriage and family therapy training and wanting to do something to support established financial professionals in their quest for something more. Her mission supports the roots of why she co-established the Financial Therapy Association almost 20 years ago—to help advisors communicate therapeutically without being a therapist.

The Institute for Systemic Financial Professionals™ is not a therapy training program. It is a place for advisors to gain knowledge in family system’s theory and practice applying the principles with themselves and their clients.

Become a Systemic Financial Professional™

The Institute for Systemic Financial Professionals™ is more than technical training—we develop whole-person thinkers. Technology assists planning, but systems-based thinking drives transformation.

    1. Differentiate therapy from therapeutic approach.

    2. Gain an understanding of family system’s concepts.

    3. Distinguish process and content. 

    4. Demonstrate an understanding of how perspective informs behavior.

    1. Use genograms to reveal financial patterns and relationship dynamics within a system.

    2. Assess how intergenerational wealth trends shape current financial behavior and expectations.

    3. Interpret family history to inform personalized, relational financial planning strategies.

    1. Evaluate your own emotional responses during client sessions and their potential impact on decision-making.

    2. Be authentically you.

    3. Recognize how your personal background may influence your professional approach with families.

    4. Practice self-reflection and supervision to maintain objectivity in client interactions.

    5. Use awareness of your biases to foster trust, rapport, and empathy.

    1. Learn how to listen with your eyes.

    2. Use communication strategies that produce lasting improvements in financial and relational stress.

    3. Understand how client goals contribute to your communication approach.

    4. Develop strategies for building empathy and compassion to reduce conflictual conversation.

    5. Gain a holistic understanding of how conflict resolution relates to broader wellness.

    1. Recognize physiological and emotional signs of stress in financial conversations.

    2. Apply de-escalation techniques to support calm, constructive dialogue.

    3. Maintain focus on long-term goals even when conversations become emotionally intense.

    1. Expand on differentiation of self and its relevance in intergenerational dynamics.

    2. Identify emotional fusion or cutoff patterns that may influence financial decisions.

    3. Identify when triangulation is occurring and understand its impact on family and adviser roles.

    4. Consider family enterprise issues.

    5. Integrate family history into the financial planning process.

    1. Recognize readiness for change and adjust communication accordingly.

    2. Use documentation to track relational shifts and adjust planning approaches accordingly.

    3. Maintain clear, confidential records that support continuity of care and ethical standards.

    1. Clarify your professional role and its limits within the context of family systems work.

    2. Collaborate with a multidisciplinary team while maintaining appropriate boundaries.

    3. Understand the ethical principles relevant to applying a systemic approach.

    4. Practice self-compassion.

Education

Foundations of Systemic Financial Professionals™ uses a cohort-based approach to train financial professionals on the interdisciplinary integration of systems theory, therapeutic communication, and the psychology of financial planning. Join the fall 2025 cohort wait list.

Study Groups

Don’t stop growing after the Foundations training. Stay active in the Institute for Systemic Financial Professionals™ Study Groups or participate in our continuing education opportunities.

Contact Us

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