Psychotherapy for Imposter Syndrome

• Putting achievements down to luck, timing or someone else's help
• Worrying that others will discover you are not as capable as they think
• Preparing far beyond what is needed, just to feel able to show up
• Finding praise hard to take in, while criticism stays with you

You may have years of experience and still feel exposed in a meeting, a new role or a room full of people you admire. You know the evidence of what you can do, but it does not quite reach the part of you that feels unsure.

Imposter syndrome is a familiar name for this experience, not a diagnosis. It can be lonely to carry, especially when others turn to you for confidence and reassurance.

We might explore how recognition, comparison and expectations have felt throughout your life. Sometimes being noticed brings not only pride, but a fear of being judged or of having to keep proving yourself.

These feelings may be connected with perfectionism, anxiety or burnout. We also make room for what is happening around you now. Exclusion, unfair expectations or a workplace where you do not feel valued are not simply problems in your thinking.

My background in corporate life helps me recognise how professional competence and private self-doubt can sit alongside each other. In therapy, we look beyond a list of achievements to understand why reassurance may be so difficult to hold on to.

You do not have to convince me that you deserve to be here. We can stay with the uncertainty, notice the voice that questions your place, and explore what it has meant to feel accepted as you are.

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.