Self-worth & confidence
Can counseling help with self-worth and confidence?
For comparison, self-doubt, perfectionism, and the feeling that you're never quite enough.
You may be competent and still feel like a fraud. You may be doing more than most people and still end the day with a list of what you failed at. From the outside it can look like high standards. From the inside it's exhausting.
What does low self-worth sound like?
- You replay conversations looking for what you got wrong.
- You measure yourself against people you don't even know.
- Doing it well isn't enough; it has to be done perfectly, or it barely counts.
- You apologize for taking up space.
- Compliments slide off. Criticism sticks for weeks.
- You're the strong one, and you're tired of it.
How does counseling for self-worth help?
Together you'll notice the thoughts that run underneath all of this, look at where they came from, and test whether they're actually true. Cognitive behavioral work is particularly useful here, not to install cheerful slogans, but to loosen the grip of patterns that have gone unexamined for years.
Alongside that, there's the slower work of deciding what you want your life to be organized around, and letting your worth stop depending on how productive today was.
Often related: eating disorders and body image and anxiety and depression. If faith belongs in it, Christian counseling.
For rates, insurance and what a first session involves, see counseling information.
Common questions
Can counseling help with self-doubt and perfectionism?
Yes. Comparison, self-doubt, perfectionism and feeling like you're never quite enough are common reasons women and female students come to counseling with Lori Rasmussen, LISW in Waterloo, Iowa.
What if nothing is really wrong and I just don't like myself much?
That's a legitimate reason to come in. You don't need a crisis to justify wanting a different relationship with yourself.
What if I feel like I should be able to fix this myself?
That thought is part of the pattern. Wanting support does not mean you are broken; it means you are ready for something to be different. Call 319-240-5035 or use the contact page.
Helpful reading
If it helps to read a little before reaching out, these were written with this exact concern in mind.
Why do I never feel like I am enough?
Where the never enough feeling usually comes from, and what actually loosens it.
Perfectionism that looks like high standards
The difference between caring about your work and being unable to let anything be imperfect.
Comparison and social media
Why scrolling can undo a good day, and practical changes that reduce the sting without pretending to quit.
Reaching out can be the first step.
You don't need to know exactly what to say, or have anything figured out, before you contact Lori.
Or email rasmussencounselingandsd@gmail.com