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Low self-esteem is more than occasional self-doubt—it’s a persistent belief that you’re inherently flawed or undeserving. This often leads to:
Commonly overlaps with social anxiety, body dysmorphia, and depression.
Therapy can help if you:
Self-criticism often masquerades as motivation—but it’s stealing your joy.
My approach to self-esteem therapy focuses on helping you develop a kinder, more accurate relationship with yourself. Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), we'll work to identify and challenge the deep-rooted beliefs that fuel your self-doubt - whether they stem from childhood experiences, societal pressures, or past failures. Rather than simply trying to "think more positively," we'll develop skills to observe your critical thoughts without believing they define you, creating space for self-compassion to grow.
Many clients are surprised to discover how their self-criticism, while painful, has served a protective function - perhaps motivating you to work harder or avoid rejection. We'll honor this while gently building new, healthier ways to meet those same needs. Through experiential exercises and real-world practice, you'll learn to respond to setbacks with curiosity rather than self-flagellation, and to recognize your inherent worth separate from achievements or others' opinions.
The journey of rebuilding self-esteem brings both immediate relief and lasting transformation. In our early work together, you'll likely notice small but meaningful shifts - perhaps catching and reframing automatic self-criticism, or feeling slightly more comfortable receiving a compliment. These moments create the foundation for bigger changes, like setting boundaries without guilt or pursuing opportunities you previously avoided due to fear of failure.
Over time, the cumulative effect of this work is profound. Clients often describe feeling "lighter" as they shed the exhausting burden of perfectionism and comparison. You'll develop an internal compass guided by self-respect rather than fear, allowing you to make choices that truly align with your values. Perhaps most importantly, you'll cultivate the ability to be imperfectly human - to make mistakes, have needs, and take up space without apology. As one client shared, "I didn't realize how much energy I wasted hating myself until I started learning how to be on my own team."
Two things can be true at once: there are people out there that are going through a lot of horrible things that deserve support AND that you are also going through some difficult things that deserve support. This belief can often reinforce the idea that we aren’t deserving of good things and keep us stuck in a cycle of never-ending low self-esteem. No one should be made to suffer alone without support!
Therapy can offer the space to be free of any expectations to be perfect or be a very specific way. It is meant to be a place to show up as you are, so that we can learn to embrace all the facets of ourselves without any judgement or shame. The only way to not do therapy right is to not show up.
Humans lack the ability to reliably predict the future on a consistent basis. Maybe based on previous attempts, you now believe change is not possible and that is valid. However, sometimes history cannot truly predict what will happen in the future. I believe that consistently trying can be the best way we show up for ourselves in the present and communicate to ourselves that we are deserving of multiple chances and not abandon ourselves.
You don’t have to navigate your mental health journey alone. Together, we can uncover your strengths and create a path toward growth and resilience.
If you’re curious about how therapy can help you thrive, let’s connect. Click below to schedule your free consultation—I’d love to hear your story!
