Self Esteem Therapist in Austin: Low Self Esteem Counseling Services

Takeaway: Low self esteem can get in the way of positive change. However, it is possible to create meaningful shifts that can leave you feeling confident and empowered. Get started with the help of a self esteem counselor in Austin, Texas today.

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Self esteem. This is a loaded term that holds a lot of weight in who we are and our identity. Self esteem therapy focuses on improving your sense of self-worth, self-confidence. Through identifying and challenging negative self-beliefs, you can develop more positive and realistic self-perceptions, and enhance your overall sense of self-worth and acceptance. This can be beneficial for those who experience depression, anxiety, or other mental health issues, which we find are often so closely related to our self esteem. As a self esteem therapist who personally understands the struggle that comes with feeling worthless and anxious, I value providing a supportive, compassionate, and non-judgmental space to explore your thoughts and feelings related to self esteem.

There are various types of therapy for low self esteem, depending on your needs and preferences. These include Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), Psychodynamic Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Mindfulness Therapy.

Low self esteem can be a hinderance to personal growth, but it's possible to overcome it with the help of a mental health professional in Austin, Texas. By working with a counselor, individuals can create positive changes that lead to greater confidence and empowerment.

Does this sound like you?

Low self esteem sometimes means you don't know your true self, and struggling with negative self-talk can create and further exasperate a cycle of low self esteem that makes it difficult to see your own worth. You might feel inclined to behave in perfectionist ways, leaving you feeling overwhelmed, inadequate, and like a failure when things don't workout perfectly. Sometimes you feel self-conscious and insecure and nervous in social situations, which can make it really difficult to connect with other people. It can also be difficult to assert yourself in your personal or professional life.

Low self esteem is quite common and understandable, especially given the evolving societal standards. It's important to know that self esteem can be improved with time and effort. Through practice and dedication, it is possible to develop a more positive self-image and a greater sense of self-worth. Improving your self esteem is a journey, and your deserve to be patient and kind to yourself along the way.

Everything you need to know about self esteem

Understanding what self esteem is can feel empowering. This means growing a deeper understanding of what it is that makes you who you are, good and bad! Your self esteem determines your overall sense of worth and value for yourself. It also determines how you communicate and interact with others in a wide range of life situations. Being aware of this can help you be more introspective about your past experiences and general beliefs. When looking inward, taking the time to reflect with yourself can give way for examining how you think, feel, and behave and, in turn, challenge the thoughts that weigh you down. Practicing and building upon acceptance can also remind you that embracing who you are, strengths, imperfections, and all, is vital in your journey to growing your self esteem. As your self esteem grows in this way, you can become more resilient and effective at developing healthy relationships and boundaries with those around you.

I'll tell you more about what self esteem is, the possible causes for self esteem issues, and how to work toward improving this very valuable part of who you are as a whole.

What is self esteem?

Although self esteem can be described relatively simply, the concept itself can be quite complex. That's because it can mean so much in your life, as it relates to who you are as a person and as a whole. That's why having a deep understanding about what it is can help you make your own connections about your past, present, and potential future self.

Self esteem refers to an individual's overall evaluation of their own worth, value, and personal significance. Being that it's subjective and multidimensional, it encompasses your feelings, beliefs, and attitudes about yourself, and it plays such a crucial role in how you develop as a person throughout your life. There are two major components to self esteem, and that is your self-worth (that thing that tells you that you are/are not deserving/valuable) and self-efficacy (that thing that defines how you believe in your own capabilities to perform and achieve). Important research indicates that a positive self esteem increases academic success in children, as well as coping with a physical disease. Although your self esteem may seem like it stays the same for a long period of time, it goes through various fluctuations. Because our lives can constantly change, the things that influence you, both internal and external, can change as well. The great news is that self esteem is a malleable trait! If you're seeking personal growth, a greater sense of self-compassion, and self-reflection, there are positive coping strategies that can help you get there!

What causes low self esteem?

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    Negative childhood experiences

    Research has found that having unconditional support and attachment from our parents is critical in our early development. Conversely, difficulties, such as criticism, abuse, and excessive pressure to achieve, turn into the building blocks of who you are. These negative experiences can shape your self-perception and contribute to feelings of unworthiness or inadequacy.

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    Critical or unsupportive relationships

    As with negative childhood experiences, negative or abusive relationships often cause a significant amount of self doubt in a person. Whether it be by family members, friends, or romantic partners, these kinds of traits in those around you can heavily undermine your self esteem. Although initially we may understand that the criticisms of others may be invalid or incorrect, overtime, the weight of these manipulative relationships causes cracks in our esteem, leading to a reduced sense of self-worth.

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    Negative self-talk

    Although we are generally all guilty of negative self-talk at one time or another, constantly engaging in self-criticism, self-judgment, and self-blame can erode self esteem over time. The tendency to give oneself negative feedback in this way often relates to our environment, both current and past.

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    Bullying and peer rejection

    Another indicator of how crucial our early childhood years are, being the victim of bullying or exclusion, especially in adolescence, can have a strong impact on how we perceive ourselves and how we interact with those around us. These repeated negative interactions can lead to a distorted self-image and diminished self-worth.

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    Unrealistic standards and perfectionism

    We are so often our own worst enemy. When we set excessively high and unrealistic standards for ourselves, often standards we would not put upon those we care for and love, we cultivate an environment of chronic self-doubt and a sense of failure. Although we may not realize that we're making perfection the goal, we inadvertently create a cycle of self-criticism and dissatisfaction when the unrealistic standards are not met.

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    Social comparison and pressures

    It's not unusual that we desire to fit in. Often times, this can lead to a tendency to compare ourselves, usually unfavorable, to others. With the immense and continued growth in social media, the pressure to compare oneself comes with a negative impact to our self esteem. Given the strong emphasis on beauty, success, and material possessions in society today, we often end up reaching for unrealistic expectations.

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    Traumatic experiences

    Experiencing trauma, such as physical or emotional abuse, assault, or significant loss can have a profound impact on self esteem. It's important that we recognize these things as traumatic experiences in an effort to understand how events such as these can disrupt one's sense of safety, trust, and self-perception.

Improving low self esteem

Becoming a better you is a gradual process that thrives off of self-reflection, self-compassion, and consistent effort. When you are on a journey to improving your whole self, there are various aspects to consider that can help highlight some of the best parts about you. Here are some meaningful strategies to help improve your self esteem:

Challenge negative thoughts

Recognizing when your thoughts have become consistently negative is so important. It's a vital step to reminding yourself that you're worthy of positive self-perceptions. When you challenge your negative thinking, you make space for the possibility that another more realistic, less daunting thought might exist. Engaging in positive affirmations to counteract negative self-talk can have a very positive impact on your whole self.

Build supportive relationships

Surrounding yourself with good people who uplift and support you is much more meaningful than most give it credit for. Fostering relationships with individuals who have a true appreciation for you can minimize the potential for you to surround yourself with and/or accept toxic behaviors from unsupportive individuals.

Seek professional help through therapy

Therapy can be incredibly beneficial in improving how you feel about yourself. Together with your therapist, you can identify the underlying issues that have led to some of your feelings of self doubt. A therapist can also provide you with helpful tools to challenge negative thoughts and offer guidance on improving your self esteem.

Cultivate self-care habits

Prioritizing yourself can go a long way. Focus on self-care activities that nourish your mind, body, and soul. Whatever the activity may be, ensure that you're spending time doing something you enjoy and that provides balance in your life, such as exercise, sufficient sleep (emphasis on sufficient), and healthy eating habits. Taking care of yourself physically can help you feel empowered and in control, something your self esteem will really appreciate.

Focus on strengths and achievements

Every single one of us has strengths and achievements worth recognizing. The challenge is allowing yourself to see actions in your life as such. Take time each to to acknowledge and celebrate your strengths, talents, and accomplishments, even if it seems really silly at first. Consider keeping a journal of your achievements and revisit it whenever you need a reminder of your capabilities.

Practice self-compassion and Self acceptance

Treat yourself with kindness, understanding, and acceptance. In doing so, you can learn to embrace your imperfections and acknowledge that mistakes are normal and expected. When you begin to accept yourself for all your strengths, weaknesses, and imperfections, you are able to focus on personal growth and progress rather than seeking perfection.

Set realistic goals

Knowing how to set realistic goals is important. A goal should be something that is achievable and measurable. It can help to break goals down into smaller, manageable steps to ensure a sense of accomplishment and progress. Celebrate your successes, no matter how small they may seem. We love small goals!

Meet Alissa Martinez, self esteem counselor in Austin, TX

  • Credentials: Licensed Professional Counselor

  • License number: Texas #81826

  • Education: Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Texas at San Antonio.

  • Years in Practice: 5

  • Modalities Used: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Attachment-based Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), Gottman Method, Motivational Interviewing

  • Google Rating: 5.0/5.0 stars

As a counselor, it's important to me that I understand the various facets of self esteem. I have spent the past several years expanding my knowledge around how to help others rise above their own negative beliefs. In the process, the way that I grew to understand the impact of childhood, family, society, and so much more, shaped the work I do in helping others feel more confident in themselves.

My passion for helping clients improve their self esteem came to me through my strong clinical experience with treating a diverse range of anxiety disorders. For some, the connection between anxiety and self esteem may seem relatively obvious and for others the connection doesn't quite resonate, and that's ok. In the past few years, understanding the complexities of anxiety and its impact on self esteem left me curious about how I could further support my clients on their intertwined journeys. By working closely with clients experiencing anxiety, I recognized the intricate relationship between anxiety and self esteem. I observed how anxiety symptoms, such as excessive worry, self-doubt, or avoidance behaviors, easily undermined a person's confidence, self-perception, and overall self esteem. With this understanding, it gave me the opportunity to address both the presence of anxiety and self esteem issues concurrently.

My drive to work with people struggling with low self esteem is rooted in my capacity to provide empathy and understanding. It's beautiful to witness the transformation that occurs when someone's overall wellbeing evolves to unleash their true potential. To know that I can make a positive difference in someone's life and empower them to cultivate a healthier and potentially high self esteem is a true privilege.

My approach to therapy for low self esteem

Deciding to start counseling to improve self esteem is a great victory. When struggling with self esteem issues, feeling disappointed, incapable, and unworthy of counseling can come too easily. That's why it's important to have a well rounded picture of what counseling will be like. Knowing more about the process and what to expect can reduce some of the uncertainty around starting therapy and choosing a therapist.

As I work to get to know and understand my clients, establishing a therapeutic relationship is a priority to help create an environment where they feel comfortable expressing their thoughts and emotions. Struggling with your self esteem is hard enough. So, it's important that as we build a connection and I assess their self perceptions and the various factors that contribute to their issues, that I remain kind and sensitive to the time they need to feel safe in the therapeutic space. In addition, I highlight opportunities for psychoeducation on the concept of self esteem and common factors that contribute to its decrease. This helps clients make deeper connections for themselves about the interplay between thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and self-perception in their life. In this way, together, we are able to identify and challenge any negative core beliefs that exist and work toward cognitive restructuring. Cognitive restructuring is a valuable part of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), which challenges distorted thinking patterns, helps reframe critical thoughts, self-blame, and self-doubt with more balanced and realistic alternatives.

Therapy is an individualized and collaborative process. As a therapist, I value the ability to tailor my treatment and approach to the unique needs and goals of each client. This allows me to integrate various techniques and interventions to foster a positive and lasting change in my clients. Beyond treatment, I recognize that feeling comfortable is at the top of the list. That's why I truly enjoy being my authentic self each time. Sometimes that might look like using humor or laughter, tid bits of self disclosure, and empathy to help each individual feel understood.

Methods I use in low self esteem counseling

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    Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

    CBT is a very popular and effective treatment method for various mental health issues apart from self esteem, such as anxiety, depression, and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). CBT is a wonderful modality to utilize for improving self esteem, as it focuses on identifying and modifying negative thought patterns and beliefs that contribute to your struggles. It helps individuals challenge and replace self-defeating thoughts with more positive and realistic ones. If someone is struggling with anxiety and self esteem, CBT can help change that.

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    Psychodynamic Therapy

    Psychodynamic therapy is a modality that allows the therapist and client to explore in a deeper way. This means there will be a lot of reflection about your unconscious influences, past experiences, and unresolved conflicts that contribute to your mental state. For someone struggling with their self esteem, it aims to increase self-awareness, insight, and understanding. You can come out of therapy feeling stronger, more empowered, and with a lot of self discovery that helps you proceed more positively in life.

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    Mindfulness-BASED Therapies

    Mindfulness-based modalities provide a great combination of principles and practices of mindfulness and other treatments. It primarily focuses on incorporating non-judgmental attitudes and accepting awareness of the present moment, including your thoughts, emotions, bodily sensations, and your environment. This is very useful in learning how to observe your experiences without reacting or attaching judgment to it. It instead fosters self-awareness, self-compassion, and emotional well-being.

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    Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

    Taking it a step further, ACT combines mindfulness techniques with strategies to increase psychological flexibility. It centers around helping you learn to accept your thoughts and feelings without judgment while simultaneously committing to pursuing action on things that align with your values and goals. Part of my role is to help you maintain accountability of these goals.

FAQs about self esteem counseling in Austin

I understand that embarking on a therapeutic journey can raise questions and uncertainties. Here, you will find answers to inquiries about low self esteem, types of therapy, and what you can expect from the process. My aim is to provide you with a clear understanding of how therapy can help enhance your self esteem and empower you to lead a more fulfilling life.

I encourage you to explore. I'm here to support you on your path. So please don't hesitate to reach out to me if you are still feeling uncertain or have more questions.

  • Although low self esteem affects our mental health issue, it's not considered a formal mental health disorder itself. Having low self esteem more so stands as a subjective assessment of your own value and can affect various aspects of life, which is a part of your general mental health. Formal mental health disorders, such as depression, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, or personality disorders, are diagnoses that require that a person meet a specific diagnostic criteria. But don't be quick to disregard it! Even though it's not a disorder, low self esteem frequently overlaps with many other things, such as depression, social anxiety, body dysmorphia, or borderline personality disorder. It's a big contributing factor to the progress and maintenance of these mental health conditions, and it can also be a symptom of them. To many people's surprise, deciding to work on your self esteem can alleviate many symptoms associated with other mental health issue.

    Regardless of its status as a mental health condition, therapy can be highly beneficial for improving your self esteem. It provides a safe and supportive space to explore and address the underlying factors contributing to low self esteem, helps you develop coping strategies, challenge negative thoughts about yourself, and foster self-acceptance and self-worth.

  • Low self esteem can be addressed through several modalities. One really great one is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), which helps with first identifying and challenging negative thought patterns and then replacing them with more positive and realistic ones. Psychodynamic therapy is another great modality that deeply explores the underlying unconscious conflicts, as well as early life experiences that may have impacted your self esteem. Ultimately, the effectiveness of these modalities will vary from person to person. Therefore, it's hard to define any one modality at "the best". Often times, utilizing a combination of modalities is what can provide the best results for one individual.

    Everyone's journey is unique. That's why it's important to keep in mind that the therapist will collaborate with you to develop a treatment plan that's tailored to and aligned with your specific needs and goals.

  • The therapy process typically starts with an initial intake, where the we will discuss the your concerns, important background information, and what kinds of goals you're interested in fulfilling. In my experience, many clients typically takes about 1-3 sessions, but this is always flexible. Following this, together we'll create a treatment plan that outlines objectives and interventions tailored to your needs. This seems like a lot, but don't worry. I do my best to keep this conversation relaxed, while providing my clinical feedback to get you through it. Regular therapy sessions will take, often following a consistent schedule to provide the best outcome for you. Sessions will consist of important day-to-day challenges and/or exploring your history to understand more about you. I'll consistently provide you with guidance and therapeutic interventions to help you work through challenges, gain insight, and develop coping strategies. As progress is made, sessions may become less frequent, and eventually, the termination phase is reached. When this time approaches, we'll take time to reflect on the therapeutic journey, discuss the great things you've accomplished, review strategies for maintaining progress, and plan for future support as needed.

    Remember, therapy is a deeply personal and individual experience. Even though there is a general structure, each person brings their unique background, needs, and goals to the process, making the therapeutic journey distinct and tailored to you!

Learn how to build healthy self esteem by working with a therapist in Austin, TX

In therapy, establishing a strong therapeutic relationship is vital for creating a safe and comfortable space for clients to express themselves. As a therapist, I value building a kind and sensitive connection that allows for exploration of your self esteem and that factors that contribute to them. Through an integrative approach that encompasses cognitive restructuring and psychoeducation, my hope is that you'll gain a deeper understanding of self esteem and its influences, while challenging negative core beliefs.

Self esteem therapy is an opportunity to embark on a transformative journey towards improved well-being. Take the first step towards self-improvement by reaching out for a free consultation today.