Psychotherapy for Low Self-esteem

• Feeling that whatever you do, it is never quite enough
• Measuring your worth through achievement, usefulness or other people's approval
• Comparing yourself with others and usually finding yourself lacking
• Finding it hard to believe your needs matter, or to accept care without earning it

Low self-esteem does not always look like a lack of confidence. You may lead a team, support a family or appear self-assured, while privately feeling that there is something about you that falls short.

The phrase 'never enough' may feel more familiar than self-esteem. Not successful enough, not patient enough, not doing enough. Even moments of closeness or achievement can be followed by the question of what you should have done differently.

Our sense of worth is shaped through relationships and experience. We may come to feel that we are valued for being helpful, achieving well or needing very little. Criticism, loss or not feeling understood can also leave an impression on how we relate to ourselves.

In therapy, we make room for your particular history. Low self-worth can sit beneath anxiety, burnout, perfectionism or people-pleasing, but these connections are something we discover together, not a story you have to fit.

This is not about asking you to replace difficult feelings with positive statements you cannot believe. We listen to the self-criticism, the sadness and the parts of your experience that may have been dismissed or kept quiet.

The relationship between us gives us a place to notice what happens when you are listened to without needing to be useful, impressive or easy. You can bring the feeling of not being enough into the room, rather than having to hide it before you arrive.

I offer this work in person in Basingstoke, Hampshire, and online across the UK. Sessions are 50 minutes, weekly, and begin with a free initial call.