College funds, stock market investments, a new car... there are endless financial options out there, but couples don't always see eye to eye. In these tough times, a little bit of financial friction can create big problems. "Money, as you know, is a very emotional topic. It's the number one issue of conflict in families, it's the number one excuse for divorces," says Dr. William Bailey, associate professor of human and family development at the University of Arkansas. Bailey is researching the possibility of financial therapy, which would help people work on their relationship with money. Last month, Bailey and 29 others met to discuss the topic at a forum in California. "How do you negotiate these issues around money so that both of you feel satisfied and you believe that you've established common goals and you're moving as a team to accomplish those goals financially?" he says. The idea of financial therapy is still in the early stages. Bailey says education and certification for a financial therapist remains a big question. But, he says, the need for this type of therapy is only going to grow. "We're seeing more people calling us saying, 'what can we do after we've been laid off or before we're laid off, how do we handle our credit card debt, how do we handle our household money?'" Bailey says there are many people out there calling themselves financial therapists, but buyers beware -- there is currently no specific training or certification system.