virtual session for individuals struggling with
Anxiety & Perfectionism
You can let go of the pressure and find peace within.
You don’t have to do it all.
Anxiety and perfectionism often go hand in hand. You may look like you have it all together on the outside, but inside you feel overwhelmed, never enough, and constantly on edge. Therapy can help you quiet the anxiety, release perfectionistic patterns, and create a life the feels more grounded, authentic, and yours.
Here is what we will do together
When you believe you have to be perfect to be safe, worthy, or enough, anxiety can begin to run your life.
Learn the cycle: Anxiety → uncertainty → need for control → perfectionism → temporary relief → exhaustion → more anxiety
I draw from evidence-based approaches including ACT, CBT, exposure-based interventions, mindfulness, RO-DBT, and self-compassion practices. We'll use the approaches that best fit your needs rather than following a one-size-fits-all formula.
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You replay conversations and worry about what you said or how you were perceived.
You are constantly thinking about what you should be doing.
Learn to step out of worry, rumination, overthinking, and worst-case-scenario thinking.
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You feel like you have to do things just right.
You set incredibly high standards for yourself—and feel like you're failing even when you're succeeding.
Even when things are going well, you have difficulty actually feeling okay.
Develop flexibility and learn that mistakes, uncertainty, and imperfection don't have to mean failure.
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Move away from self-criticism and toward self-compassion without feeling like you're lowering your standards.
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You have a hard time making decisions because you're afraid of making the wrong one.
You don't have to know exactly how something will turn out before you move forward.
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You worry about disappointing people or letting them down.
Learn that taking care of yourself doesn't mean you're selfish or disappointing someone.
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Instead of organizing your life around avoiding failure, judgment, or discomfort, begin making choices based on your values.
You may have spent years believing that if you worked hard enough, achieved enough, helped enough, or got everything right, you would finally feel like you were enough.
But there is a difference between building a meaningful life and constantly trying to prove that you deserve one.
Therapy can help you step out of that cycle and reconnect with a sense of worth that isn't dependent on your productivity, your accomplishments, or how well you're meeting everyone else's expectations.
Compassionate, Collaborative, and Individualized
I believe therapy should be a place where you don't have to perform. You don't need to have the perfect explanation for what you're experiencing, and you don't need to arrive already knowing how to change it.
Together, we'll work to understand what's underneath your anxiety and perfectionism, identify the patterns that keep you stuck, and develop new ways of responding to yourself and the world around you.
When Anxiety and Perfectionism Fuel an Eating Disorder
Anxiety, perfectionism, and eating disorders often become intertwined.
For some people, perfectionism creates a constant feeling that they need to do things right: eat the “right” foods, have the “right” body, exercise enough, be productive enough, or make the “right” choices. Anxiety can make it difficult to tolerate uncertainty, while perfectionism can offer the illusion that if you can just follow the rules closely enough, you will finally feel safe, in control, or good enough.
You may find yourself:
Feeling anxious or guilty after eating certain foods
Creating increasingly rigid rules around food or exercise
Feeling like you have failed when you don't meet your own expectations
Spending a significant amount of time thinking about food, your body, weight, or what you “should” be doing
Using food, exercise, or body checking as a way to manage anxiety or feel more in control
Struggling to trust yourself around food
Feeling like you can never quite do enough or be enough
Experiencing intense anxiety when plans change or things don't go according to your expectations
The goal isn't to help you become better at following the rules. It's to help you understand why you feel compelled to have the rules in the first place and begin creating a life that isn't organized around anxiety, perfectionism, or the eating disorder.
In therapy, we can work toward greater flexibility, self-trust, and self-compassion while addressing the underlying anxiety and perfectionistic patterns that may be keeping you stuck.
You don't have to earn your worth by being perfect. You don't have to control your body to feel safe. And you don't have to spend your life trying to get everything “right” before you allow yourself to live.
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I am licensed to provide psychotherapy in Colorado (License: LPC 0019339) and Minnesota (License: LPCC 2386).
In Colorado I am an in-network provider with Aetna, Anthem, Oscar Health, Oxford, and UnitedHealth Care.
In Minnesota I am an in-network provider with Aetna, BlueCross Blue Shield, Cigna, HealthPartners, Medica, UCare, UMR, and UnitedHealth Care.
WELL WITHIN DOES NOT VERIFY INSURANCE BENEFITS ON BEHALF OF CLIENTS. IT IS THE CLIENT’S RESPONSIBILITY TO KNOW THEIR INDIVIDUAL COVERAGE.
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Self-pay rate is $160/hour for an individual therapy session. Initial diagnostic assessment is $200. Payment is due at the time of service.
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I do have a limited number of spots reserved for those who feel I’m the right fit, but the cost would make it inaccessible. Typically these are reserved for those who don’t have the same access to resources due to structural inequality, whether that’s income level or those with marginalized identities.
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If you need to reschedule or cancel an appointment, please give me at least 48 hours notice, You will be charged the full fee for the session if you do not provide 48 hours notice or if you do not attend your scheduled session. Insurance will not pay for late cancellations or no shows. This is necessary because a time commitment is made to you and is held exclusively for you.
Rates
Frequently Asked Questions
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You can have high standards without perfectionism being problematic. It becomes more concerning when your standards are rigid, your self-worth depends on meeting them, or you experience significant anxiety, shame, or distress when you fall short.
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Yes. Anxiety and perfectionism can play a role in the development and maintenance of eating-disorder behaviors. For some people, controlling food, exercise, or their body can become a way of managing anxiety, uncertainty, or feelings of not being “good enough.” At the same time, the eating disorder itself can intensify anxiety and perfectionism, creating a cycle that becomes increasingly difficult to break.
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No. You don't need to have an eating disorder to seek therapy for anxiety or perfectionism. You may be struggling with chronic worry, overthinking, self-criticism, people-pleasing, difficulty with uncertainty, or the feeling that you're never doing enough.
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This is incredibly common. Perfectionism often serves a purpose. It may help you feel safe, in control, successful, or worthy. Therapy isn't about taking that away without understanding it. We'll work together to understand what your perfectionism has been doing for you and develop healthier ways of meeting those underlying needs.
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Not necessarily. The goal isn't to make you care less or stop pursuing things that matter to you. It's about helping you pursue what matters without your worth or well-being depending on your ability to do everything perfectly.
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Therapy is a collaborative process. We'll explore what's underneath your anxiety and perfectionism, identify patterns that keep you stuck, and work toward greater flexibility, self-compassion, self-trust, and freedom in your daily life.