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Perfectionism

22 techniques · 9 approaches
Adlerian
Courage to Be Imperfect
Courage to Be Imperfect
Rudolf Dreikurs's concept. Perfectionism is one of the most common neurotic strategies: if I cannot be perfect, I would rather not try. The …
BRIEF
Pretend Technique
Pretend Technique
The client is invited to act as if the desired change had already happened, in a playful experimental way. Pretending reduces perfectionisti…
CBT
Cognitive Continuum
Cognitive Continuum
A technique for softening all-or-nothing thinking by placing performance, traits or outcomes on a scale instead of in two categories. The cl…
CBT
Cognitive Distortions (Burns)
Cognitive Distortions (Burns)
Teaching clients to recognize common thinking errors such as all-or-nothing thinking, catastrophizing, mind reading and discounting the posi…
CBT
Downward Arrow Technique
Downward Arrow Technique
A technique for uncovering core beliefs by repeatedly asking, "If that were true, what would it mean to you?" Starting from a surface automa…
CBT
Evidence For and Against
Evidence For and Against
A systematic two-column collection of facts for and against an automatic thought. The task is not intuition or reassurance, but real evidenc…
CBT
Intermediate Beliefs
Intermediate Beliefs
Work with rules, assumptions and attitudes that sit between automatic thoughts and core beliefs. They often sound like "If I do not perform …
CBT
Socratic Questioning
Socratic Questioning
The skill of asking questions instead of giving advice. The therapist does not say, "your thought is wrong," but helps the client reach a mo…
CFT
CFT Chair Work (Two-Chair / Three-Chair)
CFT Chair Work (Two-Chair / Three-Chair)
An experiential technique in which the client embodies different parts of the self by moving between chairs. The key feature of the CFT vers…
CFT
Compassionate Behaviour Training
Compassionate Behaviour Training
The behavioral component of CFT: deliberate actions that embody compassion — to self, to others, accepting compassion from others. This is t…
CFT
Compassionate Reappraisal
Compassionate Reappraisal
An adaptation of cognitive restructuring in CFT, carried out from the position of the compassionate self. Unlike standard CBT disputation, c…
CFT
Functional Analysis of Self-Criticism
Functional Analysis of Self-Criticism
A technique for exploring the functions of the self-critical inner voice through guided discovery. For most clients, self-criticism is not m…
Frankl
Logo-Analysis / Value Analysis
Logo-Analysis / Value Analysis
A systematic inquiry into the client's value system: what they consider important, what they actually realize in life, where there is a gap …
Gestalt
Creative Indifference
Creative Indifference
A state of wise passivity: I allow life, I do not fight, I do not strain, I am simply present. I let myself, the other, the situation BE. Af…
Gestalt
Exaggeration Experiment
Exaggeration Experiment
The client takes a negative belief, gesture, or emotion and exaggerates it to absurdity. "I am a failure" becomes "I am absolutely, mathemat…
IFS
IFS with Shame and Guilt
IFS with Shame and Guilt
Martha Sweezy describes the specifics of working with shame and guilt in IFS. Shame is the burden of an Exile ("I am bad through and through…
IFS
Working with Polarization
Working with Polarization
Polarization is a conflict between two (or more) parts locked in opposition. Each fears that if it steps back, the other will seize full con…
IFS
Working with a Manager Part
Working with a Manager Part
Managers are proactive Protectors who try to prevent an exile's pain from arising. They work constantly: they criticize, control, plan, plea…
Längle
Working with Guilt and Conscience
Working with Guilt and Conscience
In existential analysis, conscience is the phenomenological organ of perceiving "what is right for me in this situation". Längle distinguish…
REBT
Rational Humorous Songs (RHS)
Rational Humorous Songs (RHS)
A unique technique by Ellis, based on his belief in the therapeutic power of humor. Clients are offered specially written songs by Ellis, se…
REBT
Shame-Attacking Exercises
Shame-Attacking Exercises
The client deliberately does something "awkward" or "embarrassing" in a public place — not to cause harm, but to confront the fear of social…
REBT
Unconditional Self-Acceptance (USA)
Unconditional Self-Acceptance (USA)
A philosophical position and a therapeutic aim of REBT: the person accepts themselves as a whole and unconditionally — not because they are …
Materials are informational and educational and summarize publicly available scientific sources. They are not medical or psychological advice, are not intended for self-diagnosis or self-treatment, and do not replace consultation with a qualified professional.