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It’s time to Start Taking up Space.

Therapy for self-esteem in Illinois

Do you ever feel like you’re just not good enough?

You might describe yourself as self-critical, insecure, high achieving, or perfectionistic. There’s a lot of overlap in these traits because they all center on one core issue–fear of not being good enough.

Your inner critic makes you feel like there is something wrong with you and that you are somehow different than others. Low self-esteem can make you isolate, people please, and be judgmental of yourself and others. You probably:

  • Feel burnt out, exploited, or resentful

  • Have difficulty setting and maintaining boundaries

  • Over-apologize and “fawn” during conflict

  • Have been told you’re “too sensitive” or “too much”

  • Struggle with imposter syndrome

 Are you ready to stop being so hard on yourself all the time?

How therapy works

You can learn to trust and take care of yourself.

You can be a strong, confident, independent person who is also nurturing, soft, and compassionate. You don't have to choose. Together we will explore how you came to be afraid of disappointing others if you fail. We’ll challenge the belief that being hard on yourself is the only way to stay motivated. We will sit with the pain of being so scared to say, do, like, or be the wrong thing, that you don't really even know who you are, what you enjoy, or how to communicate with others.

You will begin the process of unlearning messages from others, society, and your inner critic about who you are and aren't supposed to be. We will build up your self-esteem and self-acceptance so you can figure out who you are and how you want to show up in the world. We’ll connect with your intuition, examine the barriers you face with setting boundaries, and help you be more comfortable during conflict or confrontation.

You will learn to hold yourself gently and respond to yourself with compassion so that you can genuinely see where you are at and kindly hold yourself accountable for any changes you want to make. From there you will build confidence to follow your values without having to engage in toxic positivity or buy into unrealistic affirmations.

Therapy for self-esteem can help you…

  • Learn to listen to yourself and trust your gut

  • Let go of guilt and responsibility for others’ emotions

  • Stop judging yourself for being too emotional

  • Make real connections and feel like you belong

  • Have the courage to be firm and vulnerable with others

A dense forest of tall green pine trees viewed from above.

Frequently asked questions about self-esteem therapy

FAQs

  • We work on understanding how you came to struggle with self-esteem, examine all the ways this impacts you, and then help you figure out how to listen, respect, and care for yourself. Learn more.

  • If you find yourself regularly struggling to say “no” to others, lacking a strong sense of self, or having shame-based beliefs (e.g. I’m unlovable, unworthy, defective, or not good enough) it could be a sign that your self-esteem needs some extra love and attention. Learn more.

  • We’ll start by doing a 15-minute free phone consultation to discuss how we could work together. Learn more.

You don’t need to shrink yourself anymore.