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Low Self-esteem & Body Dysmorphia (BDD)

Feeling “not enough” can seep into everything – studies, work, friendships, relationships. You might find yourself constantly comparing yourself to others, thinking very negatively about yourself, fixating on perceived flaws, checking mirrors or photos, avoiding social events, people pleasing or seeking reassurance that never quite sticks. This can result in you feeling exhausted and disconnected from the people around you. 

I’m a qualified and accredited therapist with over 15 years’ clinical experience in NHS Talking Therapies services and private practice, specialising in high-intensity CBT and Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) for low self-esteem, body image concerns and related difficulties.

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With a warm, non-judgemental approach, we’ll work together to ease the pressure you put on yourself and loosen the grip that worries about your appearance and harsh self-criticism have on your day. We’ll map the patterns that keep low self-esteem and body-focused concerns going, build kinder and more balanced self-talk, and gradually reduce unhelpful behaviours that may be keeping you stuck.

Is this you?

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  • Constant comparison to others-everyone else seems to be better in every way

  • Self-critical thoughts-you speak to yourself in a way you'd never speak to anyone else

  • Fixating on parts of your appearance-skin, hair, face, body shape-and never being happy with what you see in the mirror

  • Avoiding social situations-or any situations where you might be the centre of attention

  • People pleasing and difficulties saying "no"-always doing things for others, without a second thought about your own needs

  • Feeling like you are "not good enough"-and thinking no one could really love you if they knew the true you

  • Negative, gloomy thoughts about yourself, how others see you and what your future will look like 

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How I can help

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Together, we can explore what is keeping you stuck in a cycle of low self-esteem, and find ways of increasing your confidence using various CBT strategies.

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Some strategies we might use include:

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  • Mapping out your personal low self-esteem cycle-a clear map of how your thoughts, feelings and behaviours feed into each other and keep the problem going.  

  • Thought challenging- noticing self-criticism, challenging unhelpful thinking, building balanced alternatives, and widening identity beyond looks or achievement.

  • Behavioural experiments: small, planned experiments where you test out whether your thoughts are based on facts and reality.  These can be extremely powerful.  

  • Exposure & Response Prevention (ERP) for BDD- gradually face feared situations (mirrors, photos, natural lighting, social contact) without checking/camouflaging/reassurance.

  • Work on assertiveness-helping you grow in your confidence in putting yourself first and being able to say "no".

  • Working towards your values: finding ways of living a meaningful and fulfilling life, rather than letting your low self-esteem dictate what you do.


 

What sessions look like

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  • Free initial call to talk through your needs and and opportunity for you to ask any questions.

  • Assessment (1–2 sessions): Detailed exploration of your experiences, therapy goals and mapping out your unhelpful cycle.  

  • Treatment (typically 8–16 sessions): Putting into practice the CBT strategies that will help you to reach your goals

  • Weekly sessions (unless otherwise agreed) using Microsoft Teams

  • Session cost: £50/hour

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Next steps

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Book a free, no obligation 30-minute call to talk through your needs and to see if therapy will help.

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