Therapy for High Achievers
Therapy in Colorado for women who would describe themselves as a high achiever. You might be feeling the weight of burnout or a pressure to perform at work or other areas in your life.
If you're a high achiever, you probably don't know any other way to be.
You’re used to pushing forward, setting the bar high, and getting things done. You might catch yourself thinking, “If I’m not hustling, producing, or achieving… what am I even supposed to be doing?” It’s not just a habit, it’s a way of life. You’re constantly juggling multiple projects, and everyone around you is impressed by your capacity.
Honestly? You are too. Sometimes it doesn’t even feel like a conscious choice. It feels like something outside of you is pulling the strings; like you’re being driven to hustle, even when part of you is exhausted and longing to slow down.
You might notice yourself thinking things like, “Something’s gotta give. I can’t keep living like this. I need to change something.”
You might have already met burnout: the kind of exhaustion that hits when you’ve been pushing and producing without a break for too long. You might feel a bit frustrated or even resentful toward your constant striving, but change feels overwhelming. You don’t know where to begin, because this way of being—this nonstop performing and proving—is all you’ve ever known.
So you keep going.
The problem isn’t your ambition.
The problem therapy tries to address is what happens when your ability to achieve becomes the only way you feel worthy. When staying busy helps quiet the inner critic that says, “You’re lazy. You’re falling behind. You’re not doing enough.”
The fear behind the thought, “If I’m not hustling or producing, what am I even supposed to be doing?” is actually, “If I’m not proving my worth through xyz, then I’m not worthy.”
Your value is tied up. Let’s untangle it.
Many of the high-achieving, self-aware women we work with have spent years tying their value to performance, perfection, and productivity, often in an effort to become who the world told them they should be. They may notice people-pleasing tendencies or a constant pull to be “good,” helpful, or high achieving. Somewhere along the way, they learned that these traits earned praise, love, or a sense of safety. But their worth was never dependent on those roles.
Your worth isn’t something you have to earn or prove, it’s something that’s always been there, even if you’ve lost touch with it.
How do we address burnout in high achievers through therapy?
We’ll do this by exploring the difference between your adaptive and maladaptive high achieving and perfectionism.
Your adaptive high-achieving and perfectionism hold so many strengths: your drive, creativity, vision, and integrity. The parts of you that care deeply and show up fully, because you’re just naturally really good at doing things well. Maladaptive high achieving and perfectionism, on the other hand, is rooted in fear and shame. These are the parts that tell you you’re only as good as your last success. That rest is weakness. That if you’re not doing, you’re failing or somehow falling short.
We’ll use a strong therapeutic relationship, evidence-based approaches, and plenty of compassion.
We’ll explore the protective patterns you’ve carried (like constant striving, fear of rest, or a loud inner critic) and what those parts are trying to protect. We’ll gently untangle the deeper question of worth and make space for your full, authentic self. We’ll explore your perfectionism and high-achieving patterns with curiosity—not judgment—identifying what energizes you and what’s keeping you stuck. We’ll work toward a more grounded, flexible relationship with yourself, one built on grace, self-trust, and permission to simply be.
As therapists, we show up as humans first. We believe it is in our shared humanness that the work becomes real and growth begins. Together, we make space for all of you, the whole, complex, and beautiful you that existed before the world’s expectations took hold.
“I love Jennifer! She has been so helpful and I really like the methods she has used to help me with my anxiety. I think I’ve been making good progress. I’m enjoying life more and my anxiety has decreased considerably. I really trust her, and I feel like she really listens to me and understands me. I feel so lucky to have found her.”
– Therapy client, anonymous
And remember, the goal doesn’t have to be to stop achieving. We know how much joy that brings you.
Rather, the goal is to unhook your worth from productivity so you can enjoy doing without the pressure of proving. We’re here to help you begin building a sense of self-worth that isn’t tied to output, but rooted in who you already are. Together, we work toward a relationship with yourself that is grounded in compassion rather than performance, one where you can remember that you are enough even when you’re not doing anything at all.