Counselling for
Perfectionism
Are you finding yourself overwhelmed by life, feeling like you’re losing control?
Possibly you are finding that life has become unmanageable, or perhaps you’re experiencing deeper anxiety than normal. You may be finding it difficult to start new tasks, or working so hard not to drop anything you’re no longer sleeping, relationships are taking a backseat and your health is beginning to suffer. Maybe you’re feeling angry with yourself that you cannot just ‘do it all.’
Whatever it is that you’re experiencing, you’re beginning to notice the impact of this in every area of your life:
You’re worried about what others think of you, and so you work harder to keep up the facade.
You feel like your performance at work is slipping.
You’ve decided if you can’t do it perfectly, it’s not worth doing at all, so you just give up or don’t even start at all.
Therapy for Perfectionism can help.
It may feel impossible now, but you can learn to be content with good enough. You can find freedom from the need to impress and achieve. And I can help you get there.
Counselling for perfectionism helps you do four things:
Identify how perfectionism drives you and why it’s part of your experience.
Understand the ways in which perfectionism pretends to help you, when really it’s holding you back.
See how black and white thinking, catastrophising and procrastination are limiting your success in daily life.
Learn how to identify triggers and behaviours, so you can begin to treat yourself with kindness and grace.
Throughout this process I’ll tailor each step to your unique needs and circumstances. My approach to perfectionism comes from a place of grace: when we treat ourselves with kindness we begin to believe we deserve gentleness and love, instead of hustling to achieve.
It’s time to believe you are good enough.
FAQs
Q: How does counselling address perfectionism?
A: We begin by starting to understand how perfectionism impacts your daily life - can you rest? Does your to-do list ever get finished? Does it mainly show up in your work, your parenting, your faith, your relationship, your housekeeping? Then we look to see when and how these behaviours began. We may collaborate to establish small challenges between sessions (doing something fun without an outcome, connect with your partner without distraction, leave the dishes in the sink overnight, tidy your wardrobe for 15 minutes only). Overtime you will come to understand how perfectionism is both a driver and a hindrance to your ultimate goals for your life.
Q: How long do I need to be in therapy?
A: I work in an open-ended manner, with reviews every six weeks. If at any time you decide you’d like to end therapy, you simply need to give a week’s notice - however most clients stay for 6 months or longer, finding the space to explore their experiences both at home and abroad helpful.
Q: How do I know if counselling for perfectionism will work for me?
A: Like all areas of therapy I cannot promise you will be feeling ‘better’ instantly. However, with time and work, many clients begin to view their perfectionism as something they can use to their advantage without allowing it to take over their lives.
Q: How do we get started?
A: You fill out my contact form and I’ll be in touch to offer an initial 50-minute consultation where we’ll discuss your needs, what I offer and get a feel for working together. If we both feel it is a good fit we begin meeting weekly; we continue as long as you feel you are getting benefit from our sessions.