The price tag on everyday life is taking a toll on more than just bank accounts.
For the third consecutive year, personal finances and the rising cost of living rank as the No. 1 source of anxiety in America, according to Thriveworks’ 2026 Pulse on Mental Health Report.
Based on a nationally representative survey of 2,000 U.S. adults conducted by Wakefield Research in March 2026, 48% of Americans cite financial pressure as their top stressor. Political news and global events ranked first at 38%, followed by workplace stress at 29%.
The same report reveals a record 62% of Americans have now consulted a mental health professional at some point, up from 48% in 2025. Yet only 27% are currently in care, even though 85% of those who have tried therapy report meaningful benefits, including improved confidence, better relationships, and greater overall happiness. Cost remains the leading barrier, a reality that hits many Black Houstonians especially hard.
Vanessa Longoria-Carter, a licensed marriage and family therapist with Thriveworks, has spent five years working alongside clients whose financial stress walks into sessions right alongside them. She said the work begins with one foundational message.
“There is no morality attached to financial struggles,” Longoria-Carter said. “Therapy is a safe space to talk about these things.”
Many Black families grew up in households where money was not discussed openly and where emotional distress was answered with “give it to God”, a cultural norm rooted in faith that can also become a delay on the road to healing.
Longoria-Carter said she is deliberate about meeting clients where they are, including offering to connect them with a Black therapist when the cultural gap feels too wide to bridge.
“I always try to help them understand that it is such a great thing to let go of those social and cultural stigmas,” she said. “Sometimes just offering that, they understand that I get it.”
She suggests that individuals not ready for therapy should begin with small steps, such as journaling to validate their feelings, listing actionable tasks like negotiating bills, and using affirmations to manage anxiety.
Alan Pruitt, a certified public accountant (CPA) and founder of Houston-based Pruitt Prep CPA, LLC, brings an equally grounded perspective. His firm, with eight professionals, specializes in mental health providers and entrepreneurs, a niche born of helping his wife, a licensed professional counselor, build her private practice on a solid financial footing.
In his work with clients, Pruitt has found that financial anxiety deepens most when people cannot see their full financial picture.
“That financial anxiety gets worse when you don’t have financial clarity,” he said. “That monster in the closet is scariest if you never look in the closet.”
His first recommendation is a budget, reframed not as a punishment but as a tool. “A budget isn’t a restriction. It’s a map,” Pruitt said. “It’s much harder to be anxious about a road that you can actually see.”
“There is no morality attached to financial struggles. Therapy is a safe space to talk about these things.”
Vanessa Longoria-Carter, licensed marriage and family therapist with Thriveworks
For those trying to make therapy more financially accessible, Pruitt pointed to health savings accounts as an often-overlooked option. The IRS allows individuals to contribute up to $4,400 annually to an HSA in 2026 and up to $8,750 for family coverage. Contributions are tax-deductible, growth is tax-free, and withdrawals for qualified medical expenses, including therapy, carry no tax penalty. He also urged readers to examine the mental health benefits already embedded in their existing health insurance.
“A lot of us are paying for insurance out of our checks but aren’t taking all the benefits of it,” Pruitt said. “Double check with your employer to see what those benefits are.”
