This stage 1 clinical trial will determine pilot efficacy, develop a therapy manual, and collect qualitative data concerning a brief money management intervention for people disabled by psychiatric illnesses.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Has received treatment for a psychiatric disorder within 60 days of enrollment
• Receives SSI or SSDI payments totaling at least $600 per month
• Has an identified outpatient clinician
• Either i) Homeless within the past 3 months. Homeless is defined as having spent at least seven days in a shelter, outdoors (e.g. in a park, in a car), in a public or abandoned building (e.g. train station), or temporarily (less than a continuous month) housed by family or friends OR ii) Hospitalized within the past 3 months

Justification for Inclusion Criteria: Homelessness and hospitalization are common reasons for payee assignment (Conrad, Matters et al. 1998). In a prior study, we found that a high proportion of hospitalized inpatients meet criteria for needing a payee (Rosen, Rosenheck et al. 2002a). There is no point enrolling clinically stable outpatients in this study because they are unlikely to need payees.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Already has a conservator or representative payee
• An application to assign a payee or conservator has been initiated
• Unable to speak and understand English