Online Perfectionism therapists in Santa Ana, California CA
We are proud to feature top rated online Perfectionism therapists in Santa Ana. We encourage you to review each profile to find your best match.
Freestyle Supervision and EMDR Group LLC
Counselor/Therapist, LPCC-S, LEP, NCC, APCC, AMFT, ASW, NCC
Perfectionism is often a survival strategy used to feel safe or worthy. We help you peel back the layers of high-functioning anxiety to find a life based on "good enough" and genuine self-acceptance
4 Years Experience
Online in Santa Ana, CA
Amy @ Inner Nature Therapy
Licensed Clinical Social Worker, LCSW, PMH-C
Perfectionism is the thief of joy! As a recovering perfectionist myself, I will be kind but honest with you when I notice perfectionism creeping in to your thinking and self-image. By gently rooting it out, I can support you towards accepting things as they are while remaining confident in yourself and motivated to make positive changes.
13 Years Experience
Online in Santa Ana, CA (Online Only)
Dr. Michael Marossy
Psychologist, Ph.D.
Perfectionism often involves far more than simply having high standards. Many individuals struggling with perfectionism experience chronic self-criticism, fear of failure, anxiety, procrastination, emotional burnout, shame, difficulty relaxing, or a persistent feeling that they are never “good enough” regardless of achievement or external success.
I help clients better understand the emotional and relational roots of perfectionistic patterns while developing greater self-compassion, psychological flexibility, and a healthier relationship with achievement, performance, and self-worth. Therapy focuses on reducing rigid thinking and chronic pressure while helping clients build more balanced, meaningful, and emotionally sustainable ways of living.
8 Years Experience
Online in Santa Ana, CA
Danielle Esses
Psychologist, PsyD
Perfectionism can look like high standards on the surface, but often comes with anxiety, self-criticism, and difficulty feeling satisfied or at ease. Therapy helps you understand the function of these patterns and develop a more flexible, sustainable way of approaching achievement and self-worth.
8 Years Experience
Online in Santa Ana, CA
Liza Roth, MA, LMFT
Marriage and Family Therapist, MA, LMFT
Perfectionism isn't about doing things perfectly, it's about finding fault easily. Somewhere along the way, you came to believe that if you did things perfectly, you would be safe and free from worry. Instead, you are still full of worry and are just plain exhausted. Let's work together to figure out how perfectionism serves you, how it doesn't, and how you can find balance and inner peace.
5 Years Experience
Online in Santa Ana, CA
Mary Mallinson Therapy
Licensed Clinical Social Worker, LCSW
Perfectionism often shows up as pressure, self-criticism, and fear of failure. Together, we explore the roots of perfectionism and work toward building self-compassion, flexibility, and a more balanced, sustainable way of relating to yourself.
5 Years Experience
Online in Santa Ana, CA (Online Only)
Dr. Christopher Lowery, DHSc, CLCP
Clinical Health Practitioner, Board-Certified Life Care Planner
This component assist with the management of self-criticism, reduce anxiety, and develop healthier standards, self-compassion, and balanced coping strategies.
24 Years Experience
Online in Santa Ana, CA
Abigail (Abi) Zarate Ramsay
Pre-Licensed Professional, Marriage and Family Therapist Trainee, Professional Clinical Counselor Trainee
I help clients struggling with perfectionism, self-criticism, and burnout learn to set kinder expectations, tolerate mistakes, and build a more flexible, values-based sense of success.
0 Years Experience
Online in Santa Ana, CA (Online Only)
Roderic Burks - Integrative Mental Health
Licensed Mental Health Counselor, MS, MS HSc, MA, LMHC, LPC
Perfectionism often arises from internalized expectations and self-critical patterns that create stress and self-doubt. I help clients explore the parts of themselves driving these tendencies and the underlying emotions behind them. Together, we work toward self-compassion, balance, and the ability to pursue goals without being ruled by fear or self-judgment.
26 Years Experience
Online in Santa Ana, CA (Online Only)
Kristina Anzell
Licensed Clinical Social Worker, LCSW, CPSC
You are used to putting in extra work to get it right. When you don't do something right the first time, you beat yourself up and then spend time learning, researching and then don't stop trying until you get it perfect. The issue... babies do not work that way. They are all different, they are not predictable and they are not able to be controlled. You are spending too much time and energy on something that is "supposed to come naturally" and it feels awful! Get the support you need!
10 Years Experience
Online in Santa Ana, CA
Elizabeth Nims
Marriage and Family Therapist, LMFT, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
For those experiencing perfectionism, I can help you understand the origins of this belief and give skills to shift to seeking excellence over perfectionism and understanding your innate worth.
7 Years Experience
Online in Santa Ana, CA
Heidi Hartston
Psychologist, PhD
Therapy can help you navigate the traps related to perfectionism, including procrastination, self-criticism, fear of failure, imposter syndrome, overthinking and fear of falling short. We can work to quiet the inner critic, address black and white thinking in evaluating yourself and your work, and find purpose driven motivation (rather than fear driven). Shifting your inner conversation can result in great relief and can unlock your creativity, reinvigorate your interest and have you feeling proud of your work and your skillset. I combine insightful, caring depth work with evidence based techniques that effectively free you from self-sabotaging patterns, and help you to build the balanced, happy life you deserve.
35 Years Experience
Online in Santa Ana, CA (Online Only)
Allie Michie, MS
Marriage and Family Therapist, AMFT159347
Perfectionism often looks like high standards from the outside, but on the inside it can feel like never being enough. I work with clients to get curious about where that drive comes from, what it's protecting, and how to build a relationship with yourself that's a little more honest and a lot more kind.
2 Years Experience
Online in Santa Ana, CA
New Beginnings Christian Counseling
Marriage and Family Therapist, MA, LMFT
Perfectionism can feel like a constant pressure to perform, achieve, or appear “good enough,” often leaving you exhausted, anxious, or self-critical. It’s usually rooted in early experiences, fear of failure, or unmet expectations. In therapy, we explore the beliefs driving perfectionistic patterns, develop healthier self-compassion, and create practical strategies for balance and emotional freedom. With Christ-centered guidance, you’ll learn to embrace progress over perfection, honor your worth, and live with greater peace and authenticity.
15 Years Experience
Online in Santa Ana, CA
Three Oaks Behavioral Health & Wellness
Licensed Clinical Social Worker, LCSW, LCMHC, LCAS
Helping clients reduce rigid expectations and develop more flexible, self-compassionate thinking.
7 Years Experience
Online in Santa Ana, CA
J. Rosalyn Diehl
Licensed Mental Health Counselor, MA, LMHC, LPPC, LPC
Perfectionism can leave you feeling stuck in a cycle of overthinking, self-doubt, and relentless pressure to meet impossible standards. You may struggle with fear of failure, difficulty relaxing, or feeling like your worth is tied to achievement. I help women identify the patterns that fuel perfectionism, build self-compassion, and develop healthier, more balanced ways of approaching life and relationships.
12 Years Experience
Online in Santa Ana, CA (Online Only)
Mia Turner
Therapist, MA, RYT, ASDCS, LMFT, NPT-C, CMNCS, CMIP
Perfectionism is often less about striving for excellence and more about seeking safety, belonging, predictability, acceptance, or protection. It can develop in response to trauma, marginalization, giftedness, neurodivergence, family expectations, racism, ableism, cultural pressures, high-achievement environments, or experiences where mistakes felt costly and being "good enough" never quite felt good enough.
What is often labeled as perfectionism may also reflect a nervous system that learned to stay vigilant, perform, overprepare, overachieve, self-monitor, mask, or anticipate problems in order to avoid criticism, rejection, disappointment, conflict, shame, or harm. For many people, perfectionism becomes intertwined with identity, self-worth, productivity, competence, and the belief that value must be earned rather than inherently possessed. It may show up as chronic self-criticism, difficulty resting, procrastination, overthinking, people-pleasing, hyper-independence, fear of failure, fear of success, difficulty making decisions, or feeling as though there is always more that should be done.
This work explores the protective role perfectionism has played throughout your life while examining the ways it may be impacting relationships, wellbeing, creativity, joy, authenticity, and connection with yourself. Particular attention is given to the influence of family systems, culture, gender, neurodivergence, trauma, and the internalized narratives that shape how you relate to achievement, mistakes, success, failure, worthiness, and belonging.
My approach is grounded in the belief that perfectionism is often an adaptive survival strategy rather than a personal flaw. Rather than attempting to simply eliminate perfectionistic tendencies, we become curious about what those parts are protecting, what they fear might happen if they loosened their grip, and what needs may exist beneath the pressure to perform. Using EMDR, somatic therapy, mindfulness, polyvagal-informed practices, parts work, neuropsychotherapy, expressive arts, attachment-focused approaches, and liberation-oriented healing, therapy supports developing a more compassionate relationship with the parts of yourself that learned to equate achievement with safety.
Attention is also given to the ways perfectionism lives in the body and nervous system. This may include chronic tension, difficulty slowing down, overactivation, self-monitoring, exhaustion, difficulty experiencing satisfaction, or feeling unable to rest without guilt. Through greater awareness of sensation, emotion, nervous system states, and embodied experience, space is created for increased flexibility, self-trust, self-compassion, and choice.
The goal is not to stop caring, striving, creating, achieving, or growing. It is to cultivate a relationship with yourself that is not dependent upon performance, productivity, approval, or getting everything right. Often, the work involves reclaiming authenticity, playfulness, creativity, rest, joy, pace, and the internal permission to be fully human rather than a constant self-improvement project.
10 Years Experience
Online in Santa Ana, CA (Online Only)
Tara McGrath
Marriage and Family Therapist, LMFT
You may not identify as a "perfectionist" because you're not doing things perfectly. In reality, people who struggle with perfectionism feel like they're never performing well enough, and they can always find the flaws in everything they do. These tendencies can also with correlate with procrastination. I work with people to improve their self-compassion and self-worth to allow for excellence instead of unrealistic perfection.
23 Years Experience
Online in Santa Ana, CA
The Connection Clinic
Marriage and Family Therapist
We assist individuals struggling with perfectionism by helping them cultivate self-compassion and realistic expectations. Our goal is to allow for healthier living and greater life satisfaction.
9 Years Experience
Online in Santa Ana, CA (Online Only)
Michelle Roberts
Licensed Clinical Social Worker, LCSW
It can feel like a treadmill that you can't slow down. Goal posts always moving. Let's unpack the origin story of this struggle and start making small shifts that honor your needs and boundaries.
12 Years Experience
Online in Santa Ana, CA (Online Only)
Santa Ana is one of the most densely populated cities in the United States and has an overwhelmingly Latino population — predominantly Mexican American, with significant Central American communities — making Spanish-speaking and bicultural therapists not a specialty but a baseline requirement for meaningful access to care. The city's families navigate a complex mix of immigration stress, economic precarity, and the particular challenges of raising children across cultures, and therapists fluent in both language and cultural context serve an essential community function. CHOC Children's and the broader Orange County healthcare system provide institutional mental health resources, though access can be limited by insurance and immigration-related barriers. Telehealth has meaningfully expanded therapy access for Santa Ana residents who prefer culturally matched care over what is available locally.
Perfectionism therapists in Santa Ana, California Statistics
Perfectionism therapists in Santa Ana, California average 13 years of experience and charge around $203 per session. 100% offer online sessions. The most commonly treated issues are Perfectionism (100%), Trauma and PTSD (83%), and Anxiety or Fears (80%).
Average years in practice
13 Years Experience
Average cost per session
$203
Gender ID
| 71% |
Female |
|
| 15% |
Male |
|
| 7% |
Non-Binary |
|
| 7% |
Gender Fluid |
|
Session Type
| 55% |
In Person and Online |
|
| 45% |
Online Only |
|
Top Specialties
| 100% | Perfectionism |
| 83% | Trauma and PTSD |
| 80% | Anxiety or Fears |
| 78% | Life Transitions |
| 75% | Stress |
| 70% | Depression |
| 65% | Women's Issues |