An Update on Where We’ve Been, What We’ve Learned, and What Comes Next
In a world where headlines shift daily and crises compete for our attention, one quiet epidemic continues to steal more than money; it steals safety, trust, and peace of mind. Financial fraud affects millions each year, yet the emotional fallout rarely makes the news. At Give an Hour, we’ve chosen to face that silence head-on.
In collaboration with the FINRA Foundation, The Fraud Fallout: Financial Fraud Training Series has emerged as a vital response to the mental health needs of fraud survivors & their families/allies. It’s not just about information; it’s about transformation: for our clients, for our communities, and for the providers who serve them.
As we cross the midpoint in this six-part training series, we want to reflect on what we’ve accomplished, what we’ve learned, and where we’re headed next.
The emotional toll of financial fraud is profound. It’s not simply a loss of assets, it’s often a loss of identity, autonomy, and connection. Survivors grapple with shame, self-blame, legal hurdles, and the erosion of trust in both people and institutions. And yet, mental health professionals rarely receive formal training on how to address these layers of trauma.
That’s why The Fraud Fallout was built. We recognized the gap and designed a solution that offers no-cost, accessible, CE-eligible training to empower clinicians with the tools to recognize, understand, and respond to financial trauma.
We also built something more: a community of professionals—our Fraud Fallout Cadre—who are committed to listening deeply, reducing stigma, and bringing trauma-informed healing to those navigating the aftermath of fraud.
Reflecting on Module 1–3: From Awareness to Application
Module 1: Understanding Financial Fraud as Trauma
In our first session, we laid the foundation by exploring the invisible wounds of fraud. We centered survivor experiences and introduced the emotional landscape many endure: grief, guilt, betrayal, and confusion. We also emphasized the unique ways in which fraud mimics other traumas, and why survivors often delay or avoid seeking help.
Module 2: Addressing the Emotional Imact: Why Financial Fraud is More Than a Financial Loss
Our second module focused on shame as a silencer. Through compelling case studies and provider reflections, we examined how survivors internalize fraud as a moral failure rather than the result of manipulation. We explored how to restore identity and belonging, especially among older adults, caregivers, and individuals from historically marginalized communities.
Module 3: Mental Health Considerations in Navigating Systems & Legal Implications
This most recent module, held live on August 4, 2025, drew over 120 registrants & over 35 attended live. The topic: how systemic barriers and legal processes impact survivor recovery. With presenters Julie Wells, MA, and Debbie Deem, retired FBI victim specialist, participants explored how to foster emotional safety while helping clients navigate complex systems.
The feedback was powerful. More than 95% of participants reported significant learning, and 100% said the training supported their professional goals. One participant described it as “one of the best webinars I’ve taken since becoming an LPC in 2015.” Another highlighted the value of the video case studies in making abstract concepts feel tangible.
The Fraud Fallout is more than a webinar; it’s a reframe. It’s a recognition that our clients’ financial stories are mental health stories too.
What Comes Next: Modules 4–6
As we look ahead, the next three modules will deepen our collective understanding of the long-term impact of financial trauma and the pathways to resilience. Each session builds upon the last, inviting providers to not only absorb knowledge,but to become agents of healing.
Module 4: The Impact of Financial Fraud on Relationships
📅 September 9, 2025 | 12:00 PM EST | CE: 1.5 hours
How do we rebuild after trust has been shattered? This module explores the ripple effects of fraud on relationships with others, with money, and with self. Participants will examine attachment disruption, power dynamics in financial abuse, and techniques to help survivors re-establish agency in their lives.
Module 5: Treatment Modalities and the Intersection with Other Traumas
📅 October 6, 2025 | 12:00 PM EST | CE: 1.5 hours
Financial trauma rarely exists in isolation. This module focuses on the overlap with intimate partner violence, elder exploitation, childhood trauma, and systemic marginalization. We’ll explore evidence-based approaches that integrate trauma-informed modalities like EMDR, IFS, and narrative therapy into financial recovery work.
Module 6: Finding Community—Rebuilding Trust, Validating Experiences, and Supporting Healing
📅 November 3, 2025 | 12:00 PM EST | CE: 1.5 hours
The final module focuses on restoration. How do we create spaces for survivors to feel heard, understood, and safe again? We’ll explore the power of peer support, the importance of culturally responsive practices, and the role of clinicians in building bridges—between individuals, institutions, and hope.
What We’ve Learned So Far
Through this journey, one truth keeps surfacing: financial trauma is relational trauma. And healing begins when we move from isolation to connection.
Whether it’s through case consultation, shared resources, or survivor storytelling, our cadre members have shown that providers equipped with the right training can radically shift the healing timeline for their clients.
We’ve also learned that mental health professionals are hungry for training that connects the dots between systems, stigma, and trauma. Providers are showing up, despite full caseloads and systemic burnout, because this topic matters. It matters to their clients, to their communities, and to them personally. Financial fraud has affected all of us in some capacity, maybe through others.
As we move into the final chapters of the series, we invite our wider network—Give an Hour providers, wellness ambassadors, and mental health advocates—to consider your role in this work.
Here are three ways to get involved:
1. Join the Fraud Fallout Cadre
If you’re a licensed provider and haven’t joined yet, we welcome you to sign-up for our cadre. You’ll gain access to exclusive resources, client referrals, and a network of professionals committed to supporting fraud survivors. This is a chance to deepen your expertise while making a meaningful difference.
2. Attend Upcoming Modules (Live or On-Demand)
All sessions are free and CE-eligible. Whether you’re new to this topic or have been following since Module 1, there’s still time to participate. On-demand access is available for Modules 1–3 for those who register.
3. Share with Your Network
The reach of this project depends on word of mouth. Forward this post to a colleague. Invite your clinical team. Mention it in supervision. We’ve built this series to be accessible—now help us make sure the people who need it most can find it.
A Final Word: Why This Matters
In every training, we hear echoes of the same sentiment: “I had no idea how deep this goes.”
That’s exactly why we’re doing this.
At Give an Hour, we believe healing happens in relationships. And that includes our relationship with money, with systems, with safety, and with ourselves. Financial fraud may be the entry point—but the work is much deeper. It’s work that only becomes possible when we meet survivors with compassion, context, and curiosity.
We’re proud of how far this project has come—and we’re even more hopeful about where it’s going. Thank you for walking this journey with us.
Whether you’re a provider, a volunteer, a wellness ambassador, or a partner organization: your role in this movement matters.
We hope you’ll keep walking with us.
Visit GiveAnHour.org for more information & sign up for our newsletter at GiveAnHour.org/Newsletter.
