Therapy for Perfectionism in Minnesota
Therapy for high achievers and overthinking
- Do stress, anxiety, and self-doubt make regular appearances in your life?
- Are you exhausted by the grind of it all and the feeling that nothing you do is ever enough?
- Yet has your brain tricked you into believing that your struggles aren’t “that bad” or that needing support somehow signals weakness?
I get it—on the outside, you appear cool and calm… collected, even. Your main task in life is to manage the chaos, whether you’re juggling a million responsibilities at once or constantly checking the boxes off your mental checklist to ensure that you’re doing what you should be doing. You’ve always had a crystal-clear image in your head of what a successful, stable life looks like, and you won’t slow down until that picture matches up with your reality.
But the truth is you’re living life on autopilot. Instead of feeling present for and invested in what you’re doing, it seems like you’re just going through the motions, mindlessly crossing off each day’s to-do list as it all blurs together.
Your work, your relationships, your family—all once great motivators and sources of joy—don’t offer you the same sense of fulfillment they once did. And now you’re left wondering why, after doing everything you should have been doing all this time, you feel sad, numb, empty, alone, and/or overwhelmed.
Fortunately, therapy is an antidote to perfectionism. Instead of constantly feeling like you aren’t enough, this process helps you learn how to slow down, get centered, and challenge unhelpful beliefs. If you are looking for therapy for high achievers, you are in the right place. Together we can transform the need constantly strive for perfection into a lasting sense of acceptance and fulfilment.
Have a question or want to schedule a session? Reach out
How to recover from burnout and manage perfectionism
When we take a step back to look at where perfectionistic tendencies come from, many of us can pinpoint certain standards or beliefs that we were raised with. Particularly in the Midwest, there is an expectation to mind your business, do what’s expected by your community, and not stir anything up with those pesky emotions. Being raised this way often results in the belief that emotional expression is unnecessary, weak, and overly dramatic.
It’s not as if society at large helps to counterbalance this idea. In our culture, healthy emotional exploration and expression have never been prioritized, and we are only now beginning to see some of the stigma around mental health fall away. Financial and professional successes are valued far more than emotional intelligence and healthy relationships, only further perpetuating the idea that how we appear on paper is more important than how we feel on the inside.
As a therapist, I specialize in perfectionism. Though each client comes to counseling with a unique life experience and set of goals, they all share a belief that they aren’t enough, inevitably leading to a frustrating cycle of perfectionism. Working together through the treatment process, clients determine what they really want out of life—and how to get it.
How to heal from burnout - specialized and convenient therapy
My counseling services are highly collaborative and individualized in a way that honors your specific experience of stress, anxiety, and perfectionism. I work with adults and older teens (15+) of all backgrounds who may be feeling overwhelmed by or disconnected from life stressors, relationship challenges, and unresolved past trauma. I also specialize in working with athletes experiencing performance anxiety, which you can read more about here.
What To Expect
Though much of therapy focuses on the present and finding relief from acute symptoms, the truth is that a sense of perfectionism has likely stemmed from a past experience, which we will explore in early sessions as I learn more about you. In the process of identifying patterns, we can better understand which situations trigger self-doubt and how to finally quiet the inner critic that constantly demands you strive for more.
From there, we can begin incorporating specific approaches into counseling—including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)—that have been proven to help combat symptoms of perfectionism. Through both behaviorally focused therapies and trauma-informed interventions, you will learn a new way of engaging with both your strengths and setbacks.
I know it’s totally exhausting living like you can never get a break from all the noise and expectations. But I promise it’s possible to overcome perfectionism through therapy. This work makes space for new narratives and possibilities as you learn to let go of the outdated beliefs holding you back.
Common Concerns About Therapy…
Others will judge me for seeing a therapist—I should be able to figure this out on my own.
It’s very normal to fear what others might think about you seeing a therapist—but that fear is also just another symptom of your perfectionism. I know that it’s tempting to wonder Why can’t I figure this out myself? when trying to understand overwhelming emotions and unhealthy patterns. But the belief that you are on your own in your struggles is only making those struggles worse, creating even more exhaustion and burnout.
The truth is that perfectionism is something that can’t be treated in a vacuum; counseling and working with a therapist can help you meaningfully challenge outdated patterns and beliefs. The more you nurture a sense of self-compassion and self-acceptance through this process, the less you’re likely to worry about what others think. Plus, therapy is entirely confidential, so others will only know that you’re working with a therapist if you tell them.
I have a busy schedule, and I’m worried I can’t make the commitment to weekly therapy and ongoing sessions.
If you’re feeling stretched thin, it’s usually a good indicator that it’s time for therapy! The counseling process teaches you to slow down, get centered, and make space for what you really want while shedding the parts of your life that are no longer serving you.
I will work with you to ensure a therapy schedule that feels manageable. It’s also worth noting that many of the approaches I use—including EMDR—tend to yield relatively quick results.
Talking about my struggles in counseling will just make my perfectionism worse.
It is a common misconception that feeling your feelings makes them worse. In fact, just the opposite is true. We therapists like to say, “You need to feel to heal,” and it’s no different with issues of perfectionism.
While it may be temporarily uncomfortable to explore the fears and beliefs at the core of your perfectionism in therapy, it’s necessary to work through those emotions so you can come out the other side with more understanding and clarity.
Make Room For A New Inner Monologue
Maddy Trenholm specializes in therapy for perfectionism and clients who struggle with feelings of stress, anxiety, and self-doubt. For more information or to get scheduled for a session, contact me.
Therapy for Perfectionism
in Eagan, MN
860 Blue Gentian Rd Suite 125,
Eagan, MN 55121