Perfectionism therapists in Salinas, CA
Browse Perfectionism therapists in Salinas, California. Compare credentials, specialties and therapeutic approach. Contact a therapist to learn more.
Perfectionism
Sarah Jane Thomas
Marriage and Family Therapist, LMFT
Perfectionism keeps you stuck in all-or-nothing thinking, where everything has to be perfect or it feels like a total failure. This mindset makes it really hard to exist in the grey area where life actually happens. We will explore where those rigid standards came from and practice getting comfortable with the messiness of being human instead of striving for unattainable perfection. Our work is about reminding you that you matter even when you are not producing, achieving, or grinding your way through the day.
11 Years Experience
Online in Salinas, CA (Online Only)
Perfectionism
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 Salinas, 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 Salinas, CA (Online Only)
Perfectionism
PBA Psychology Group, Inc.
Psychologist, Clinical and Forensic Psychology
Perfectionism makes demands on the self that can be overwhelming and paralyzing. Helping you develop insight into these struggles is the work that we do. To be released from these demands and the underlying fears that drive them will bring relief.
30 Years Experience
Online in Salinas, CA
Perfectionism
Melanie Simms
Marriage and Family Therapist, LMFT
I believe that self-compassion is the antidote for perfectionism. I work with clients to heal from early traumatic experiences that may have led to the development of perfectionism as a coping mechanism. I help clients develop their overall feeling of self-worth and treat themselves with greater compassion to reduce perfectionistic tendencies.
11 Years Experience
Online in Salinas, CA
Perfectionism therapists in Salinas, CA Statistics
Perfectionism therapists in Salinas, CA average 14 years of experience and charge around $214 per session. 100% 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
$214
Accept insurance
43%
Offer sliding scale
35%
Gender ID
| 68% |
Female |
|
| 24% |
Male |
|
| 4% |
Gender Fluid |
|
| 4% |
Non-Binary |
|
Session Type
| 55% |
In Person and Online |
|
| 45% |
Online 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) |
| 33% | Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) |
Ages Served
| 100% | Adult |
| 71% | Young Adult |
| 63% | Senior |
| 41% | Teen |
| 24% | Children |
Client Focus
| 69% | Women |
| 51% | LGBTQ+ |
| 37% | Asian |
| 37% | Men |
| 33% | Christian |