Balancing Good Work and Good Money in the Helping Professions
By: Mikelann Valterra

There is a common belief that it should be enough to like what you do. And if you are lucky enough to enjoy your work, don?t expect to make a lot of money. (?I don?t make much money, but I just love my work.?) Although we?ve all heard the phrase, ?do what you love and the money will follow?, the reality is that many people are uncomfortable earning a lot of money, especially those in the helping professions. In fact, those who wonder if it is fair or appropriate to make money from helping people often don?t have a lot of money themselves.

It is true that women need two things to be happy in the workplace: they need to be able to relate to the people around them (have nourishing relationships) and they need to be able to express their values in some manner. But is this enough? When job satisfaction is equated only with having great working relationships and enjoying the work itself, money can be treated as a side benefit. But at the same time, many women aren?t making enough money, and this lack of money is causing great stress in their lives!

The goal is to enjoy your work and feel good about making money at the same time. Linda Austin, in What?s Holding You back? 8 Critical Choices for Women?s Success, writes that money should not taint the expression of our values in the workplace, though many feel that it does. In fact, money provides a wonderful and helpful professional boundary that we can channel our love and caring into. Think of a therapist. She cares deeply for her clients and her work expresses her values. But without the professional contract of the 50 minute hour, she would not be able to channel all that caring into helping her clients. It would be a little here and a little there, and she likely would not reach many people, beyond her personal friends and family. The boundary of money (I will pay you x in exchange for your help in these 50 minutes) helps dictate where and how she shows her caring by offering professional help.

Said another way, professional boundaries, which money helps create, merely guide where and how we channel our values and caring. These boundaries allow us to access and help people. Austin, herself a psychiatrist, writes, ?In work life, love is most healthily expressed in a highly disciplined, structured way.? And it is the fee involved in the exchange that helps us set these boundaries!

Of course, you can also look at it this way: without getting paid to do your work, you can?t reach as many people. If the therapist doesn?t make enough to support herself and enjoy her life, she won?t be a therapist for long. By paying herself enough money, she ensures that she will continue to be able to help people.

Lastly, think about this as a balance of energy. A professional never apologizes for receiving money for helping someone. This is merely a transfer of energy. She knows that paying for help balances the exchange so neither party is constantly drained. When we don?t receive adequate compensation, we will resent what we do. We are giving and giving, and not receiving enough. And it rarely feels good for a person to always receive and receive, without giving something back. Paying someone for their assistance helps us feel like we are in balance and not merely taking all the time. No one wants to feel continuously indebted in a relationship.

If you begin to think about money as a key ingredient in your professional boundaries, you will more easily be able to pour your love and caring into your work. Knowing your fees are part of the professional relationship, it is possible to enjoy your work and make great money.

Mikelann Valterra, MA is the founder of the Women?s Earning Institute and the author of Why Women Earn Less- How to Make What You?re Really Worth. As a specialist in women?s earning issues, her mission is to empower women to earn what they?re really worth. Through trainings, business support groups and private work, she teaches women how to make peace with money and create more profitable practices. 206.634.0861 http://www.womenearning.com

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