Working with Perfectionism

ABOUT THE EPISODE

Working with Perfectionism

Senior CBT therapist Natalie Englander explores different forms of perfectionism, core beliefs, cognitive restructuring and behavioural experiments.

• Different types of perfectionism
• How perfectionism can shape therapy
• Exploring core beliefs and cognitive restructuring
• Behavioural experiments and flexibility

How can perfectionism shape what happens in therapy?

Perfectionism can affect more than the standards a client sets outside the therapy room. It may also shape how they approach therapy: wanting to understand everything correctly, judging their progress harshly or treating an exercise as another test they can pass or fail.

Natalie Englander explores different forms of perfectionism and the core beliefs that can sit underneath them. Paying attention to those patterns can help the therapist understand what the client is trying to prevent, protect or prove, rather than seeing the problem as simply “expecting too much”.

What can help a client become more flexible?

Cognitive restructuring can support a closer look at the rules and assumptions maintaining perfectionism. Behavioural experiments then create an opportunity to test what happens when the client responds differently, rather than relying only on discussion or reassurance.

The aim is not to replace one rigid rule with another. The episode considers how therapy can support greater flexibility, including room for uncertainty, mistakes and choices that are guided by the client's wider life rather than by the demand to perform perfectly.

Related listening: Continue with Working with a Strong Inner Critic for a compassion-focused look at self-criticism, its protective functions and what can help when compassionate exercises feel difficult.