Leasa Mayes, Care Financial Counselling, Canberra
Video here
Why did you become a financial counsellor?
I was working in a counselling role. I found this ad that said financial counsellor. I’d never heard of that before. So, I applied and I really liked that it was a combination of counselling and a practical focus. This was in 2000, it was pre diploma, so you had to be a counsellor with two years’ experience and then Care did the training of the financial and legal components. So yeah, it’s very different to now.
What’s the most rewarding part of your work?
To see clients more relaxed and happier and doing the things that are important to them. There’s still quite a big stigma around talking about finances, so sometimes we might be the only people that the client can talk to about their money, and that’s a real privilege.
Can you share a specific moment for a client that reminded you why this work really matters?
I had a client who had a very high tolls debt. She came in, we called Linkt Assist and they waived the whole balance, and they even put a credit on her account. The financial part is one part of it, but the main thing was it just freed her up to deal with the other things that were happening in her life.
The other one was a young man who was about to get his car repossessed and he called because he didn’t know what to do. We talked through a proposal that he could put to the creditor. Later on in the day he called back and he said that they had accepted the proposal that he put forward, plus he had managed to negotiate better terms than the ones that we negotiated. The pride in his voice was palpable.
What kinds of issues are you most commonly helping people with right now?
Housing stress is a big one. It’s quite expensive to live in Canberra. It’s very hot in summer, it’s cold in winter so energy bills is the other issue that we see quite a lot here. And all the things that come along with that – strata and rates.
The other things that we’re seeing are tax debts and we’re also seeing a lot of debts that are secured by a vehicle. We’re also seeing people who are experiencing harm from family and domestic violence. Scams is another thing that is on the up.