This practical resource provides an evidence-based framework for treating clients struggling with perfectionism, whether as the main presenting problem or in conjunction with depression, eating disorders, anxiety disorders, or obsessive-compulsive disorder. Using a case formulation approach, the authors draw on their extensive cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) experience to present specific techniques and interventions. Coverage spans treatment planning, the therapeutic alliance, key obstacles that may arise, relapse prevention, and emerging research. Reproducible assessment scales and 36 patient handouts are included; purchasers get access to a Web page where they can download and print the reproducible materials in a convenient 8 1/2" x 11" size.

How to break the circle of 'never good enough' Striving for something can be a healthy and positive attribute; it's good to aim high. But sometimes whatever we do just isn't good enough; we want to be too perfect and start setting unrealistic goals. Such high levels of perfectionism, often driven by low self-esteem, can turn against success and develop into unhealthy obsession, triggering serious mental-health problems, such as anxiety, depression and eating disorders. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), on which this self-help book is based, has been found to be a highly effective treatment and provides relief from that disabling sense of not being good enough. In this essential self-help guide, you will learn: - How clinical perfectionism manifests itself - Effective coping strategies with invaluable guidance on how to avoid future relapse OVERCOMING self-help guides use clinically-proven techniques to treat long-standing and disabling conditions, both psychological and physical. Many guides in the Overcoming series are recommended under the Reading Well Books on Prescription scheme. Series Editor: Professor Peter Cooper

If you feel an intense pressure to be perfect, this evidence-based workbook offers real strategies based in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) to help you develop a more balanced and healthy perspective. Do you hold yourself—and perhaps others—to extremely high standards? Do you procrastinate certain tasks because you’re afraid you won’t carry them out perfectly? If you’ve answered “yes” to one or both of these questions, chances are you’re a perfectionist. And while there’s nothing wrong with hard work and high standards, perfectionism can also take over your life if you let it. So, how can you find balance? With this workbook, you’ll identify the causes of your perfectionism and the ways it is negatively impacting your life. Rather than measuring your self-worth by productivity and accomplishments, you’ll learn to exercise self-compassion, and extend that compassion to others. You’ll also learn ways to prioritize the things that really matter to you, without focusing on attaining fixed goals. Life isn’t perfect, and neither are we. If you’re ready to break free from out-of-control perfectionism and start living a richer, fuller life, this workbook will help you get started.

It's only natural to want to avoid making mistakes, but imperfection is a part of being human. And while perfectionists are often praised for their abilities, being constantly anxious about details can hold you back and keep you from reaching your full potential. In this fully revised and updated second edition of When Perfect Isn't Good Enough, you'll discover the root cause of your perfectionism, explore the impact of perfectionism on your life, and find new, proven-effective coping skills to help you overcome your anxiety about making mistakes. This guide also includes tips for dealing with other perfectionists and discussions about how perfectionism is linked to worry, depression, anger, social anxiety, and body image. As you complete the exercises in this book, you'll find it easier and easier to keep worries at bay and enjoy life — imperfections and all. This book has been awarded The Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies Self-Help Seal of Merit — an award bestowed on outstanding self-help books that are consistent with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) principles and that incorporate scientifically tested strategies for overcoming mental health difficulties. Used alone or in conjunction with therapy, our books offer powerful tools readers can use to jump-start changes in their lives.

What happens to you in life matters less than the way you feel about life: that's the message of cognitive behavioural therapy. If you've ever tried to change something about yourself - your mood, your weight, your behaviour - you'll have noticed that change often hurts, so you stop trying. CBT can help you when change starts to hurt. In this book, professional CBT practitioner Avy Joseph shows you how to challenge negative thoughts and unhealthy beliefs to improve your outlook in your personal and professional life. Whether you want to break the spiral of depression, anxiety or guilt, achieve work-life balance or make an important change, this book will help you reach your goals and maintain a positive outlook - no matter what life throws at you. Remember: It's you - not your circumstance - that holds the key to change. Don't limit yourself.

This milestone text provides a comprehensive and state-of-the art overview of perfectionism theory, research, and treatment from the past 25 years, with contributions from the leading researchers in the field. The book examines new theories and perspectives including the social disconnection model of perfectionism and the 2 × 2 model of perfectionism. It also reviews empirical findings, with a special focus on stress, vulnerability, and resilience, and examines perfectionism in specific populations. Finally, it considers how perfectionism relates to physical health and psychophysiological processes and introduces new approaches to effective prevention and treatment. By increasing our understanding of perfectionism as a complex personality disposition and providing a framework for future explorations, this landmark publication aims to promote further research in this field. It will be invaluable reading for academics, students, and professionals in personality psychology, clinical and counseling psychology, applied psychology, and related disciplines.

Grounded in decades of influential research, this book thoroughly examines perfectionism: how it develops, its underlying mechanisms and psychological costs, and how to target it effectively in psychotherapy. The authors describe how perfectionistic tendencies--rooted in early relational and developmental experiences--make people vulnerable to a wide range of clinical problems. They present an integrative treatment approach and demonstrate ways to tailor interventions to the needs of individual clients. A group treatment model is also detailed. State-of-the-art assessment tools are discussed (and provided at the companion website). Throughout the book, vivid clinical illustrations make the core ideas and techniques concrete.ÿ ÿ

The Perfectionism Workbook offers actionable exercises to help you overcome the barriers created by perfectionism and develop skills for living a healthier, more gratifying life. The desire to continuously improve can be a positive trait that fuels success. However, those same aspirations can also turn into perfectionism, which causes us to put unrealistic pressure on ourselves and set impossible standards that negatively influence how we think and act. In his work as a clinical therapist, Taylor Newendorp has successfully used cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to help countless patients who live with the immense pressure of perfectionism and other related issues such as OCD, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, or depression. In The Perfectionism Workbook, Taylor delivers practical, effective exercises to help you change the way you view yourself, set healthy goals, and find contentment in your daily life. The Perfectionism Workbook is a hands-on guide especially designed to identify and resolve the root causes of perfectionism. It these pages you will find: A perfectionism overview that will help you understand the illusion of perfectionism, why it doesn't work, and what you can do to treat your perfectionism. The 5 tendencies of toxic perfectionism: Need for approval and pleasing others; Procrastination, inaction, and paralysis; Fear of making mistakes; Highly self-critical; Judgment of self and others. Practical strategies based on the principles of CBT, mindfulness, and acceptance that will help you quiet your critical inner voice, conquer procrastination, and develop true self-worth. Real-world examples of perfectionism that will provide meaningful opportunity for insight and reflection into your own perfectionism. Perfectionism can have serious consequences, both mentally and physically. But there is a solution--and it can be found in the pages The Perfectionism Workbook.

Contains over 100 of the top hands-on practical worksheets and exercises for integrating CBT! Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is the fastest-growing psychotherapy in the world today, largely because it has been clinically-tested and found effective for a broad range of psychiatric and psychological problems. CBT has strong clinical support from both clients and clinicians who like its collaborative process that uses practical tools and strategies for solving everyday problems. The challenge for many clinicians is finding practical ways to integrate empirically-supported therapies into everyday clinical practice with clients. While there are many outstanding books on the theory and practice of cognitive-behavioral therapies, the CBT Skills Workbook provides over 100 of the top hands-on practical worksheets and exercises to help clinicians integrate CBT into practice. The exercises and worksheets are designed to provide powerful tools that can be used in individual or group sessions and as homework assignments. An effective way to use the workbook is to have clients complete the exercises and worksheets at home and then review them together in each session. Clients learn by doing, thus these exercises are intentionally designed to be short, sweet, and easy-to-complete. This workbook contains powerful, yet practical, tools and techniques to help mental health professionals provide clients with state-of-the-art evidence-based interventions for a broad range of addiction and mental health issues and concerns. The workbook is divided into four key sections that include practical exercises and worksheets focused on client motivation, beliefs, emotions, and behaviors. In a nutshell, it helps people learn how to feel better by changing what they think and do. With the explosive movement toward accountability and evidence-based treatments, the CBT Skills Workbook will help psychologists, mental health professionals, and social workers integrate evidence-based treatments and therapies into clinical practice. In short, the workbook provides an easy to follow directory of practical exercises and homework activities that are designed to help people learn ways to have the life they truly want and deserve.

This book provides the first comprehensive guide to enhanced cognitive behavior therapy (CBT-E), the leading empirically supported treatment for eating disorders in adults. Written with the practitioner in mind, the book demonstrates how this transdiagnostic approach can be used with the full range of eating disorders seen in clinical practice. Christopher Fairburn and colleagues describe in detail how to tailor CBT-E to the needs of individual patients, and how to adapt it for patients who require hospitalization. Also addressed are frequently encountered co-occurring disorders and how to manage them. Reproducible appendices feature the Eating Disorder Examination interview and questionnaire. CBT-E is recognized as a best practice for the treatment of adult eating disorders by the U.K. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).