Perfectionism therapists in National City, CA
Browse Perfectionism therapists in National City, California. Compare credentials, specialties and therapeutic approach. Contact a therapist to learn more.
Perfectionism
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 National City, CA (Online Only)
Perfectionism
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
In-Person Near National City, CA
Online in National City, CA
Perfectionism
Hayden Dover
Marriage and Family Therapist, MFT, CST
Perfectionism often looks like high standards, but underneath it there may be anxiety, self-pressure, fear of mistakes, shame, or difficulty trusting yourself. I work with perfectionism as a pattern that can limit freedom, pleasure, creativity, and connection. Our work focuses on understanding what perfectionism is protecting, how it lives in the body and relationships, and how to build more flexibility, self-acceptance, and alignment with your values.
22 Years Experience
In-Person Near National City, CA
Online in National City, CA
Perfectionism
Dr. Divya Kakaiya Healthy Within
Psychologist, Licensed Clinical Psychologist Ph. D M.S. BCN-L
Perfectionism is a nervous system in a constant state of threat — the brain scanning relentlessly for error, inadequacy, and judgment, driven by hyperactive self-monitoring circuits that never power down.
Neurofeedback quiets this exhausting vigilance by retraining the brain's arousal and self-evaluation networks toward a calmer baseline. Standards don't disappear — but the neurological terror behind them does, replacing driven anxiety with genuine, sustainable motivation.
41 Years Experience
In-Person Near National City, CA
Perfectionism
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 National City, CA (Online Only)
Perfectionism therapists in National City, CA Statistics
Perfectionism therapists in National City, CA average 14 years of experience and charge around $212 per session. 98% offer online sessions. The top treatment approaches are Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) (73%), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) (43%), and Somatic Therapy (41%).
Average years in practice
14 Years Experience
Average cost per session
$212
Accept insurance
41%
Offer sliding scale
35%
Gender ID
| 69% |
Female |
|
| 23% |
Male |
|
| 4% |
Gender Fluid |
|
| 4% |
Non-Binary |
|
Session Type
| 55% |
In Person and Online |
|
| 43% |
Online Only |
|
| 2% |
In Person Only |
|
Top Treatment Approaches
| 73% | Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) |
| 43% | Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) |
| 41% | Somatic Therapy |
| 39% | Psychodynamic Therapy |
| 35% | Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) |
| 33% | Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) |
| 31% | Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) |
Ages Served
| 100% | Adult |
| 71% | Young Adult |
| 63% | Senior |
| 41% | Teen |
| 25% | Children |
Client Focus
| 69% | Women |
| 51% | LGBTQ+ |
| 37% | Asian |
| 37% | Men |
| 33% | Christian |