Therapy for Perfectionists & People Pleasers
in Texas
On the outside, you function well.
On the inside, it takes far more effort than anyone realizes.
I help thoughtful, high-functioning adults whose lives look stable from the outside
but feel mentally exhausting on the inside.
You’re not here because you’re too nice. You’re here because you’re tired.
I help high-functioning adults change these patterns at the nervous-system level — not just understand them.
You push yourself to get it right—not because you enjoy pressure, but because at some point, being capable, easy, or even perfect helped things go more smoothly.
These patterns often begin as intelligent adaptations — ways your mind learned to stay connected, reduce conflict, and avoid becoming a burden..
What no one ever told you is this: you’re not doing something wrong.
Your nervous system learned an incredibly effective way to protect you.
Therapy isn’t about removing your strengths or making you less conscientious.
Over time, you begin making decisions with less mental rehearsal and less second-guessing.
When People-Pleasing and Perfectionism
Are About Staying Connected
By “connected,” I mean feeling steady enough to show up honestly — without constant self-monitoring or fear of missteps. These patterns are often treated in perfectionism and people-pleasing therapy.
I provide therapy for perfectionism and people-pleasing in Texas. You might notice overthinking conversations, replaying interactions afterward, or feeling responsible for other people’s reactions.
For many high-functioning adults, perfectionism and people-pleasing are not about wanting approval or being “too nice.”
These patterns once reduced the risk of rejection or being misunderstood.
Over time, this way of being becomes automatic.
You don’t choose it; it chooses you.
And while it may look like strength from the outside, inside it often feels like constant pressure. Inside is something you carry quietly.
It’s exhausting to always be “on.”
The tone of your emails.
The expression on your face.
The way you worded that text — was it too much? Not enough?
At some point, paying close attention to others helped relationships stay safe.
Now your brain keeps doing it automatically — even when your present life no longer requires it.
There is a way to feel like yourself again — without constantly managing other people’s reactions.
Does this sound familiar?
You overthink before speaking, setting boundaries, or asking for what you need.
Constantly watch for other people’s emotions or reactions
You push past your limits — then feel depleted or resentful later
Struggle to rest without guilt or self-criticism
Appear calm, capable, or “together” while feeling chronically tense inside
You function well at work and in relationships—while quietly feeling like you’re always on.
These are old, rooted patterns.
These patterns didn’t come from weakness or lack of confidence.
They formed because, at some point, being attuned, capable, or low-maintenance helped you cope.
When connection felt conditional, you learned to stay alert.
To monitor.
To adapt quickly.
That strategy worked — until it didn’t.
The problem isn’t that this protection exists.
It’s that it doesn’t turn off, even when your life no longer requires it.
We are not trying to remove your strengths.
We are helping your brain stop treating everyday relationships like high-stakes situations.
What Becomes Possible…
Change doesn’t mean becoming someone else. It means feeling more at ease inside yourself.
Imagine yourself in six months —
feeling more ease inside yourself, noticing patterns with curiosity instead of judgment, and responding to life with steadier calm.
You might find yourself:
• Resting without guilt or needing to “earn” it
• Feeling your preferences more clearly (and trusting them)
• Letting others be disappointed without guilt or fear
• Relating to yourself with greater steadiness and less criticism
Maybe you’re wondering…
You may have already done therapy and understood your patterns… but still react the same way in real life.
You’ve tried therapy or self-help before and don’t want to start all over! Maybe you got good at talking about what’s going on, but didn’t actually feel different. Maybe you left sessions thinking,“Okay… but now what?”
Our work goes deeper than insight alone, helping you soften without falling apart and feel real change, not just understanding.
My approach is trauma-informed, focusing on nervous system regulation and helping you develop a felt sense of relief.
What Therapy With Me Is Actually Like
Our sessions are focused and experiential. We are working directly with the patterns that keep repeating in your life, not only talking about them.
We don’t just talk about your relationships — we work with them in real time. The reactions you have with other people often show up with me too.
Instead of only analyzing patterns, we work with them as they happen.
Your brain begins to learn a different experience of interaction and safety.
We don’t only talk about your week and then send you back into the same patterns.
Instead, we pay attention to what happens while you are sitting in the room with me.
People-pleasing and perfectionism happen automatically in relationships — including here:
overexplaining
softening your opinions
bracing for my response
trying to say things “the right way”
Rather than analyzing those patterns from a distance, we gently notice them together as they happen.
When your nervous system tightens, speeds up, or second-guesses, we work right at that moment so the reaction can actually change.
I use attachment-based therapy, parts work, and EMDR-informed processing so the reactions you’re stuck in during real interactions start to shift in everyday life.
Most clients notice:
less mental replay after conversations
clearer boundaries without rehearsing
decisions becoming easier
relief from the constant monitoring
This is not open-ended therapy. We are actively changing how your nervous system responds in relationships.
What My Clients Say:
To protect privacy, I don’t publish direct testimonials. The statements below reflect themes clients commonly describe.
Many of my clients are capable, thoughtful adults who others rely on.
They usually notice their life looks fine from the outside, but they feel exhausted from overthinking and holding everything together.
Most have tried therapy before and understood their patterns — but the reactions in real situations didn’t actually change.
Because we work with patterns while they are happening—not only by talking about them—your reactions in real-life situations start to change.
My often notice things like: I’ve learned to let go. I can trust my reactions more and I don’t rely on what others to determine my choices.
I’m still me—but I don’t feel overwhelmed and anxious.
Clients often describe this work as relieving because they start experiencing different reactions in real situations — not just insight during sessions.
Here’s how to tell whether this approach might be a good fit.
Most people who reach out to me aren’t falling apart — they’re holding a lot together.
They’re working, showing up for others, and managing their responsibilities, but inside they feel stuck in repeating emotional or relationship patterns they can’t think their way out of.
Weekly therapy is often a good fit when life is functioning on the outside, yet certain reactions, overthinking, or relational dynamics keep resurfacing in ways that feel out of proportion or hard to change alont
This work tends to help people who:
You’ve been high-functioning for years, but something feels unsustainable
You recognize patterns of people-pleasing and perfectionism and want to understand them at the root
You’re open to deeper, body-based work—not just coping strategies
You want therapy that feels thoughtful, relational, and attuned
You might need a different kind of support right now if:
• Day-to-day functioning feels very hard and you need more immediate or practical support than weekly therapy can provide
• You’re looking for direct advice or step-by-step direction about what decisions to make
• Safety, active addiction, or crisis concerns are present — those deserve a higher level of care, and I want you to have the right help. Please refer to my crisis resources for more options.
Many of my clients are people others rely on — professionals, caretakers, high-achieving adults — who appear steady externally but experience significant internal pressure.
Because they are functioning, they often try to solve this alone for a long time — through insight, self-help, or previous therapy.
What they discover is that understanding the pattern doesn’t automatically change their reactions.
This work focuses on changing the response itself, not just talking about it. That’s why sessions are active, relational, and paced carefully — so your nervous system learns a different experience of closeness, conflict, and expectations in real time.
The next step is a brief consultation call.
We’ll talk about what you’ve been dealing with and I’ll help you understand whether this approach is likely to help — and what therapy with me would actually look like.