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.
Interested in an accelerated training option? Click below to learn about upcoming opportunities.
Dr. Daniel Crosby
Chief Behavioral Officer, Orion
“The Institute for Systemic Financial Professionals™ offers a fresh and much-needed perspective in advisor training. Dr. Sonya Lutter brings a rare blend of academic depth and practical understanding of family systems theory that adds real substance to the work.
As someone who’s spent a career at the intersection of psychology and money, I see this program as an important step forward. It goes well beyond technical skills to address the emotional and relational side of financial decision-making—the side that often matters most.
By integrating systems thinking, therapeutic communication, and holistic planning, this training equips advisors to better serve the real humans behind the spreadsheets.”
Is this for me?
You have built a successful solo practice and are technically skilled, but feel like something is missing when dealing with clients whose money issues are emotionally or relationally complex.
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The systemic framework addresses difficult issues like divorce, grief, and major life transitions. You do not have to become a therapist to communicate therapeutically. If you are ready for the next step, we are ready for you.
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The Systemic Financial Professional training covers 8-modules at the cost of $5,000. You will engage with peers throughout your learning and participate in live conversations with the facilitator, Dr. Sonya Lutter.
You are engaged with community-based financial literacy work and have a boutique coaching practice focused on money and values. You are wondering why clients are not following your advice.
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Get ideas for new activites centered around a family system’s perspective. You will learn about readiness for change and be ready to facilitate more robust education and coaching.
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The Systemic Financial Professional training covers 8-modules at the cost of $5,000. You will engage with peers throughout your learning and participate in live conversations with the facilitator, Dr. Sonya Lutter.
You are part a family office that handles complex estate and succession issues. Recently, you have noticed that technical expertise is not sufficient in moving family converations forward.
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You might have a mental health professional on staff or have a good set of referrals for really difficult situations. For the in-between stuff, learn how to better facilitate converations to reduce conflict and increase empathy with the SFP training.
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The Systemic Financial Professional training covers 8-modules at the cost of $5,000. You will engage with peers throughout your learning and participate in live conversations with the facilitator, Dr. Sonya Lutter.
Want a complimentary preview of the Systemic Financial Professional training program?
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.
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Differentiate therapy from therapeutic approach.
Gain an understanding of family system’s concepts.
Distinguish process and content.
Demonstrate an understanding of how perspective informs behavior.
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Use genograms to reveal financial patterns and relationship dynamics within a system.
Assess how intergenerational wealth trends shape current financial behavior and expectations.
Interpret family history to inform personalized, relational financial planning strategies.
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Evaluate your own emotional responses during client sessions and their potential impact on decision-making.
Be authentically you.
Recognize how your personal background may influence your professional approach with families.
Practice self-reflection and supervision to maintain objectivity in client interactions.
Use awareness of your biases to foster trust, rapport, and empathy.
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Learn how to listen with your eyes.
Use communication strategies that produce lasting improvements in financial and relational stress.
Understand how client goals contribute to your communication approach.
Develop strategies for building empathy and compassion to reduce conflictual conversation.
Gain a holistic understanding of how conflict resolution relates to broader wellness.
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Recognize physiological and emotional signs of stress in financial conversations.
Apply de-escalation techniques to support calm, constructive dialogue.
Maintain focus on long-term goals even when conversations become emotionally intense.
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Expand on differentiation of self and its relevance in intergenerational dynamics.
Identify emotional fusion or cutoff patterns that may influence financial decisions.
Identify when triangulation is occurring and understand its impact on family and adviser roles.
Consider family enterprise issues.
Integrate family history into the financial planning process.
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Recognize readiness for change and adjust communication accordingly.
Use documentation to track relational shifts and adjust planning approaches accordingly.
Maintain clear, confidential records that support continuity of care and ethical standards.
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Clarify your professional role and its limits within the context of family systems work.
Collaborate with a multidisciplinary team while maintaining appropriate boundaries.
Understand the ethical principles relevant to applying a systemic approach.
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 now.
SFP Academy
Don’t stop growing after the Foundations training. Stay active in the Systemic Financial Professionals™ Academy.
Jodi Kaus, JD, CTFA
Director of Program Implementation, Peer PowerED Financial Wellness™
“As a financial planner and trainer of future financial professionals, I have witnessed the difference in satisfaction and follow-through by clients when their advisor considers them holistically and understands how their financial wellness impacts, and is impacted by, other areas of their wellness. These tools give advisors the confidence to help clients open up and share their most valuable insights leading to optimal success for all parties.”
Jared Anderson, Ph.D., LCMFT
“This training challenges financial professionals to see themselves as part of the system, not separate from it, and that shift changes everything. By developing greater self-awareness and learning how to engage with clients more thoughtfully, planners become better equipped to support not just financial goals, but the people behind them.”
Contact Us
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