Low Self-Esteem Counselling
When you are caught in a pattern of self-doubt, being constantly self-critical, Counselling for Low Self-Esteem can help you by reshaping your self-concept, enabling more resilience, and by creating a more confident, positive self-image – which helps you to become more productive in your relationships and in your life.
What is self-esteem?
Self-esteem is about our belief-system and is closely related to self-confidence – as higher levels of confidence in our own abilities positively enhances our feelings of self-worth, improving our self-concept, and feelings of self-respect.
Low Self Esteem Symptoms:
Low self-esteem is linked to your thoughts about yourself (not being ‘good enough’ and of disliking or even hating yourself), your feelings, and inevitably, to your behaviour.
Symptoms of low self-esteem vary but you may identify with some of the following:
- Negative self-concept/self-loathing
- Low self-belief/self-confidence
- Negatively comparing self to others
- Low levels of assertiveness
- Lack of confidence and avoidance of decisions.
- Feelings of guilt or that you are to blame for things that are not your fault
- Negative self-talk
- Being overly-sensitive and easily triggered.
- “Please Others” mentality.
A lack of self-esteem is a common issue – but one which can be remedied through self-esteem therapy.
Please get in touch and and arrange to talk to one of our specialist self-esteem therapists about counselling for self-esteem in Newcastle /online- Phone 01915805080 or email.
“To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don’t need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself.“Thich Nhat Hanh
Self-Esteem: Table of Contents
The Impact of Low Self-Esteem
Self-esteem affects what you choose to do in your life, your feelings, and your overall level of contentment. Suffering with feelings of low self-esteem and poor self-belief often leads to a lack of self-confidence, and feelings of inadequacy, low mood, or frustration. Low self-esteem is connected to your negative feelings of self-worth – often triggering nagging self-doubt or a critical inner voice (disliking ourselves) or negative self-talk which exhausts our reserves and gets in the way of a happier life.
All that you need is deep within you waiting to unfold and reveal itself. All you have to do is be still and take time to seek for what is within and you will surely find it. Eileen Caddy
Where does Low Self-Esteem Originate?
The reasons for low self-esteem and low confidence are varied – ranging from a sudden traumatic experience which impacts our sense of self, to difficult early experiences at home, at school or in relationship. For example, a highly critical parent or growing up with constant feelings of disapproval, if not treated, can remain with you. Similarly, a dysfunctional school or work situation can affect a persons self-worth.
Self-Esteem – How Counselling can Help
Self-esteem treatment helps you to interpret and understand low self-esteem and find practical solutions across a range of situations – for example, by becoming more assertive with friends, family or in the workplace. Self-esteem therapies and treatments like CBT and integrative therapy can often help you to change in a relatively short timeframe, by helping you tackle unhelpful beliefs and coping linked to low self-worth.
Self esteem counselling helps:
- Gain insight and understanding about yourself through exploring thoughts, feelings and behaviours associated with low self-worth.
- Learn to effectively manage your moods and behaviour.
- Improve your self-concept and self-belief.
- Learn new skills and techniques if relevant (e.g. assertiveness is often helpful).
What is the Best Therapy for Self-Esteem?
In the treatment of low self-esteem, the CBT techniques orginally developed by Melanie Fennel have been shown to be helpful and are still widely used. However, contemporary, evidence-based developments mean that in practice CBT is now enhanced by using combined or integrative therapeutic treatments.
The therapist working with your low self-esteem and self-confidence will help you to look at the causes, how it affects your day-to-day living, and what you seek to change.
For example, overcoming negative thinking and self-criticism, and engaging in positive self-talk boosts your self-esteem and self-confidence. This process reframes your negative thoughts and reinforces core self-concept. Other examples may include helping with goal-setting, which enables you to stay on-track and complete tasks – again building self-confidence.
Therapy guides and supports you to improve your skills and empowers you to feel more confident and positive in your outlook.
Contemplating Self-Esteem
Most of the shadows of this life are caused by standing in one’s own sunshine. Ralph Waldo Emerson
Self-esteem: Take steps to feel better about yourself
These simple tips are useful ways of boosting your self-esteem.
- Identify situations or triggers that affect self-esteem.
- Become aware of your associated thoughts and beliefs
- Confront critical or negative thinking.
- Actively choose to change those thoughts and beliefs.
- Alternatively, after identifying trigger situations:
- Step back from your thoughts. ..
- Practice acceptance of your thoughts, letting them go
The Resources section has more resources.
Taking the Next Step: Starting Self-Esteem Counselling
At Reflexions Counselling and Psychotherapy, our experienced therapists are committed to helping you to step into the sunshine, free from the shadow of low self-esteem. Taking the next step is straight-forward: If you are struggling with your confidence or self-esteem, contact us and arrange to talk to one of our therapists about low self-esteem counselling in Newcastle /online – Phone 01915805080 or email.
Or email:counsellor@counselling-newcastle.co.uk
Resources and Self-Help for Self-Esteem
Explore these self-help resources to further support your journey towards improving self-esteem:
- Self-Esteem Worksheet – produced by Reflexions this is a handy, short practical guide to start to build-up your self-esteem.
- Melanie Fennell. Overcoming Low Self-Esteem – A Self-Help Guide (1999, 2016)
- Melanie Fennell. Boost your Confidence: Improving Self-Esteem Step by Step. (2011)
- Psychology Today: Self-Esteem – Articles and practical tips on enhancing self-esteem.
- Mind.org.uk: Self-Esteem – Information and resources for building and maintaining healthy self-esteem.
- Verywell Mind: How to Build Self-Esteem – Step-by-step guidance on improving self-esteem.
- Self Esteem Shop – Online store with books, workbooks, and resources for building self-esteem.
- Moodjuice: Self-Esteem – Self-help resources and worksheets for improving self-esteem.
- Rimes, K. A., Smith, P., & Bridge, L. (2023). Low self-esteem: a refined cognitive behavioural model. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 51(6), 579–594. doi:10.1017/S1352465823000048
