Therapy for Self-Esteem & Self-Worth in Queens, NY
Support for adults and teens struggling with shame, inner criticism, and the feeling of never being enough. Sessions available online and in-person.
You’ve been trying to keep it together…smiling when expected, achieving what you can, and showing up even when it’s hard.
But no matter what you do, the voice inside your head just won’t let up. It tells you you’re falling behind, that everybody else has things figured out, or that you’re just “too much.” This results in you overthinking everything (again and again), apologizing more than you’d like, and still questioning whether you’re doing things “right.”
And it’s not that you aren’t trying to feel differently—if anything, you feel like you try too hard. Still, nothing changes. You still critique how you look when you pass a mirror. You still feel like an imposter in your own life. Sometimes it’s like the version of you the world sees doesn’t line up with how you feel inside.
Self-worth struggles can be sneaky.
They show up in thoughts, relationships, and the way you treat yourself every day. Sometimes they look like:
Fearing conflict or rejection, so you stay silent or small
Avoiding rest or joy because it feels unearned
Overworking or overcommitting to prove your value
Feeling anxious in social settings or unsure how to connect
Doubting your success or assuming it’s just luck
Always feeling like a failure
My Approach
You’ve survived by being hard on yourself. Now we’re learning what it’s like to be on your own side.
I recognize self-worth isn’t just a switch you can flip, and suddenly you’re confident again. The way we view ourselves is shaped over time by experiences, relationships, family systems, and the messages we’ve absorbed about what it means to be “enough” or “acceptable.”
We start this work by building a space where you don’t feel the need to perform or defend yourself—a space where all your feelings are valid and your voice doesn’t have to be critical just to be heard. From there, we get curious about where that inner voice came from and why it’s been so loud for so long. This isn’t to pick you apart, but to understand the roots of your own self-doubt and how it formed. We’ll notice patterns in your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors as they unfold—sometimes even between us—and intentionally begin to reshape the story with more compassion and clarity.
When it’s helpful, I may bring in tools from approaches like CBT to challenge distorted beliefs, or explore how shame and self-criticism operate in your body. We’ll also practice naming needs, setting boundaries, and creating more compassionate ways of relating to yourself.
Ultimately, this work is about coming home to yourself at your pace and in your own language. Because you don’t need to be fixed—you’ve always been worthy of being heard, cared for, and understood.
(Now it’s just time to finally believe it.)
Walk away from this work knowing:
It’s possible to be kind to yourself, even when things are hard
You don’t have to earn rest, care, or belongin
Life is complicated and messy—that’s not your fault
Trusting yourself takes time
That critical voice is a part of you—not the whole of you and we can understand it together
You are loved and more than enough just as you are
You aren’t broken (and you never were)
Boundaries and self-care aren’t selfish
It’s possible to feel more at home in your body, not at war with it
You don’t have to “earn” your way into being okay. Let’s begin the work of remembering your worth.
Questions?
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Yes. We’ll explore your relationship to your body and the way you see yourself. These feelings can be shaped by anything from shame, comparison, or painful past experiences. I’m not here to tell you that you have to love your body all of the time. This work is more about feeling safe in your body and treating yourself with more care and kindness.
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That’s such a common fear, and it usually comes from years of being told your needs were “too much” or came second. In therapy, we challenge that idea consistently. Wanting to be understood, cared for, and at peace with yourself isn’t selfish—it’s human, and it’s important.
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I’m a licensed therapist who has worked with many teens and adults who carry deep shame, harsh inner critics, and long histories of not feeling good enough. It can show up in their relationships, their body image, or the way they talk to themselves. My approach is rooted in psychodynamic, relational, and trauma-informed care, which means we don’t just try to “fix” the surface—we look at where these beliefs came from and why they’ve stuck around. I work with you to gently understand those patterns with compassion, not judgment, and to build a more trusting, supportive relationship with yourself over time.
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That’s okay. Even if therapy before helped, feeling better about yourself isn’t a quick or linear process, especially if your inner critic has been loud for a long time. This work takes patience and safety—things I prioritize from the start. We’ll go at a pace that honors what you’ve already tried, while making room for a different kind of connection and healing.
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