Perfectionism & People-Pleasing Therapy Across Texas

People-pleasing and perfectionism often begin as survival skills: ways to earn love, safety, or approval.


In therapy, we’ll explore where those patterns started, how they still shape your relationships, and what it means to show up as your real self—with boundaries, rest, and self-trust.

What is Perfectionism?

This might sound familiar:

  • You say yes even when you want to say no

  • You constantly overthink what others think of you

  • You feel like you can never do “enough” — even when you're doing the most

  • You apologize for things that aren’t your fault

  • You feel resentful, drained, or invisible in your relationships

These patterns usually start early — in families, classrooms, or faith communities that rewarded being easy, quiet, or “good.” Therapy is where you can stop performing and start feeling like you.

What is Depth Therapy?

I use a psychodynamic, relational approach rooted in AEDP (Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy) and NARM (Neuro-Affective Relational Model)- both trauma-informed, attachment-based models that help you heal at the core.

That means we don’t just talk about your feelings, we slow down and actually feel them together, in real time.

I pay close attention to how you show up emotionally, relationally, and even right here in the therapy room. Together, we work with the parts of you that learned to shut down, smile through pain, or over-function to stay safe.

If you’ve tried therapy before that felt too polite, too surface-level, or too focused on “fixing,” you’ll notice the difference here. This work goes deeper, helping you understand yourself, build self-trust, and create change that lasts.

 FAQs

  • Yes. Therapy can help you understand why you struggle to say no, feel guilty setting boundaries, or put others’ needs ahead of your own. I work with women to unlearn these patterns and build emotional safety around being honest, direct, and self-honoring.

  • Perfectionism isn’t a diagnosis, but it often shows up alongside anxiety, shame, or burnout. Therapy helps you explore where that pressure comes from — whether it started in childhood, school, religion, or relationships — and how to let go of the belief that your worth depends on performance.

  • We go beyond “just set boundaries.” I help clients explore the emotional roots of people-pleasing, build self-trust, and practice saying no without guilt. This work is relational, deep, and focused on lasting change — not just surface-level tools.

  • Not always — but many perfectionists do carry relational trauma, emotional neglect, or experiences where love felt conditional. If you're always trying to get it “right,” we’ll explore what that part of you is protecting — and offer it something new.

 “I talk to myself and look at the dark trees, blessedly neutral. So much easier than facing people, than having to look happy, invulnerable, clever.”

— Sylvia Plath