Therapy for People-Pleasing & Perfectionism

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 You’re the go-to person. The dependable one. The one who never says no—even when you're running on fumes. 

And when you do try to take a break, set a boundary, or ask for what you need? The guilt hits hard. 

At Awakening Mountains, we help clients in New York and Vermont unlearn the pressure to be perfect and the fear of disappointing others. If people-pleasing or perfectionism runs your life, therapy can help you reclaim your voice, your energy, and your peace. 

• You constantly feel like you're “too much” or “not enough” 
• You say yes to things you don’t want to do, just to avoid guilt or conflict 
• You replay conversations in your head and overthink how others perceived you 
• You feel anxious when people are upset with you—or might be 
• You equate rest with laziness and success with hustle 
• You feel like your worth depends on your achievements, helpfulness, or how easy you are to be around 

 People-pleasing and perfectionism are not personality flaws. 

They are survival strategies—born out of invisible trauma, emotional conditioning, and years of being told (directly or indirectly) that your value was tied to your performance or behavior. 

This is especially common in: 

• Adults raised in emotionally avoidant households 
• Teens and young adults navigating overwhelming social and academic pressure 
• Women and caregivers who’ve been taught that being "good" means being selfless 
• Helpers, healers, and therapists who hold everyone else’s emotions before their own 

 In our sessions, we’ll use a self-compassionate, mindfulness-based approach to help you: 

• Notice and interrupt the patterns of “automatic yes” and performance-based worth 
• Build the tolerance to sit with discomfort instead of people-pleasing 
• Shift your inner dialogue from self-criticism to self-kindness 
• Learn boundary-setting tools that feel doable, not aggressive 
• Let go of perfectionism and redefine success on your own terms 

 We’ll start by creating a space that feels safe and validating—no masks, no pressure to perform. Just you, showing up as you are. 

Then we’ll get curious about: 

• Where these patterns came from 
• What purpose they’ve served 
• And how to move forward with more self-trust and less guilt 
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Every session is a step toward being able to say: “I can rest and still be worthy. I can say no and still be loved.”