PERFECTIONISM, PEOPLE-PLEASING & SELF-WORTH
You're not too much. You're just too used
to shrinking.
You’ve always done what was expected—checked the boxes, said yes when you wanted to say no, smiled through the stress. But lately, the pressure to keep it all together feels unbearable. Underneath the perfectionism and people-pleasing is a deep question you can’t ignore anymore:
Who am I, if I’m not performing for approval?
Therapy for Self-Worth and Identity Beyond the Roles
If you’re tired of chasing gold stars and ignoring your own needs, you’re not alone. Many of our clients arrive here feeling like they’re living a life that looks good on paper—but doesn’t feel like theirs.
In therapy, we help you:
1.
Unpack the roots of people-pleasing and perfectionism
2.
Explore the difference between self-worth and achievement
3.
Learn to say no without spiraling into guilt
4.
Build a relationship with yourself that isn’t performance-based
Therapy for High-Functioning Adults in New York City (and surrounding statewide areas)
Flexible, collaborative, and rooted in your lived experience. We currently offer:
1:1 Therapy for High-Functioning Adults
Weekly or bi-weekly sessions that focus on complex trauma, relational patterns, ADHD masking, and burnout.
Group Therapy for
Boundary-Setters
Supportive, therapist-led groups focused on healing people-pleasing, building emotional boundaries, and reconnecting with self.
Personalized Tools
Together, we’ll come up with strategies that make sense for you. This isn’t one-size-fits-all therapy. It’s built around your real needs and your goals.
Where it started isn’t where it has to stay
You may have grown up in an environment where your value came from being helpful, quiet, or impressive. That survival strategy worked—until it didn’t. Now, it's likely showing up as anxiety, burnout, people-pleasing, and disconnection from your true self.
Therapy helps you:
Recognize and shift internalized beliefs that you have to earn love
Set boundaries without fear of being disliked
Access your voice, needs, and desires
Rest without guilt
“Irene is a kind, empathetic and collaborative clinician. She works with her clients as a guide to help you through self-discovery and healing. Irene can help you build strong boundaries, coping skills and transform after trauma.”
- Kristina Lynn Padron, LP, MHC
This work is for you if:
You feel like your worth is tied to productivity or approval
You have a hard time saying no (or even knowing what you want)
You’re praised for being "so put together," but feel anything but
You want to live for yourself—not just be liked by others
You are allowed to take up space.
You don’t have to earn rest, worth, or belonging. In therapy, we’ll help you build an inner foundation that’s rooted in self-trust, not self-sacrifice.
Still figuring it out?
That’s part of the work. You’ve spent so long shaping yourself to fit others—therapy is a place to figure out who you are when you’re no longer performing.
You Don't Need
to Earn Rest
If you were raised in a home where emotional safety wasn't a given, or you learned to earn love through achievement, it's no surprise you're exhausted. Here, we create space to slow down, soften, and make sense of it all—not by fixing who you are, but by healing what you've been carrying.
Many of our clients arrive feeling like they've checked every box but still feel unfulfilled. They're leaders, caregivers, creatives—people who know how to push through, but not how to pause.