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How to Work with the Fear, Pain, and Shame That’s Imprisoning Your Client in Perfectionism

man working late to make things perfectPerfectionism can keep a client stuck in a pervasive anxiety.

Problem is, perfectionism can look like a good thing to the client – on the surface anyway. It often provides them with success, approval, and sometimes even a sense of mastery.

But it’s also grooving their brain into rigid black-and-white thinking. Not only that, it can lead to depression, paralyze their ability to make choices, and poison their most loving relationships.

Eventually, they’re left dealing with chronic stress, a loss of connection, and a nervous system that can’t come down off the ledge.

So how do we help clients achieve their goals without the harsh self-critical drive that’s damaging their mind and body?

We asked the top 26 experts in the world how they work with a client’s perfectionism. We gathered their best strategies into this course . . .


How to Work with a Client’s Perfectionism

The Neurobiology of Perfectionism

Dan Siegel, MD Kelly McGonigal, PhD
  • A mapping framework to help clients identify perfectionism patterns
  • What goes on in a perfectionist’s brain and how it can create a self-made prison
  • Why a perfectionist’s brain is highly optimized for detecting error

Perfectionism’s Cost: Helping Clients See the Hidden Damage Under Perfection’s Rewards

Deany Laliotis, LICSW Melanie Greenberg, PhD
Stan Tatkin, PsyD, MFT Zindel Segal, PhD
Judson Brewer, MD, PhD Kelly McGonigal, PhD
  • The most powerful driver of perfectionism (and why clients so desperately cling to it)
  • Why your client will often reject the idea that perfectionism is hurting them
  • Two toxic factors that can set a perfectionist up for depression
  • Why perfectionism so often presents with disrupted sleep

Why Perfectionism Turns to Addiction and How to Help Clients Break Free

Judson Brewer, MD, PhD     Ron Siegel, PsyD
Michael Yapko, PhD     Joan Borysenko, PhD
  • The addiction pattern that keeps many clients locked in a drive for perfection
  • The perfectionist paradox: one way perfectionism actually promotes failure
  • A core missing skill that can keep a client addicted to perfection

How to Work With Shame and Perfectionism

Pat Ogden, PhD     Ron Siegel, PsyD     Deany Laliotis, LICSW
Richard Schwartz, PhD     Melanie Greenberg, PhD     Rick Hanson, PhD
  • How perfectionism helps fuel a person’s feeling of “never good enough”
  • One powerful strategy to foster the inner compassion that can reduce shame
  • One approach for working with the painful feelings beneath perfectionism
  • How to defuse an inner critic that’s driving your client’s perfectionism

How to Work with Clients Paralyzed by Their Perfectionism

Shelly Harrell, PhD     Steven Hayes, PhD     Ron Siegel, PsyD
  • Why your client’s procrastination might be a hidden form of perfectionism
  • How perfectionism can shift clients from motivation to paralysis
  • The critical cost to a client who suffers perfection-driven paralysis

How to Target Deeply Engrained Patterns of Perfectionism

Stephen Porges, PhD     Bonnie Goldstein, LCSW, EDM, PhD
Deb Dana, LCSW
  • The crucial link between perfectionism and early life attachment
  • The core vulnerability that can lead to an obsession with perfection
  • How a client can get trapped in a perfection-isolation loop

How to Work with Perfectionism That’s Linked to Trauma

Resmaa Menakem MSW, LICSW, SEP     Onno van der Hart, PhD
Ron Siegel, PsyD
  • How trauma strengthens the one core element that gives perfectionism its power
  • Why trauma-driven perfectionism can often be mis-assessed as a personality trait

Key Strategies for Working with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Perfectionism

Pat Ogden, PhD     Bill O’Hanlon, LMFT
  • How to help clients manage the OCD that’s keeping their perfectionism alive
  • A brain-based approach to treating hyperarousal triggered by perfectionism
  • One technique to help a perfectionist safely experience mistakes

How to Help Clients Shift a Rigid Perfectionist Mindset

Zindel Segal, PhD     Lynn Lyons, LICSW     Michael Yapko, PhD
  • One crucial reason a client will hold onto perfectionism (even when it’s costing them)
  • How to help clients soften their rigid perfectionistic boundaries
  • How an overachiever will often assess imperfection (and why this keeps them stuck)

Register Here for $197

You’ll get all of the video & audio recordings (so you can listen and watch whenever you want),
as well as the transcripts and learning tools

Sign Me Up

Up to 3.75 CE/CME Credits or Clock Hours are available for purchase at checkout.

Click HERE to get information about CE/CME credits and clock hours as well as speaker disclosures

For This Short Course on How to Work with a Client’s Perfectionism, We Brought Together Some of the Top Experts in the Field

Stephen Porges, PhD

Developer of Polyvagal Theory; Distinguished University Scientist at the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University Bloomington and Research Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.

Dan Siegel, MD

Executive Director of the Mindsight Institute; Co-Director of UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center; author of Mindsight: The New Science of Personal Transformation and The Mindful Therapist: A Clinician’s Guide to Mindsight and Neural Integration.

Pat Ogden, PhD

Pioneer in Somatic Psychology; Founder and Director of Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute (SPI); Co-founder of the Hakomi Institute; Author of Sensorimotor Psychotherapy: Interventions for Trauma and Attachment.

Shelly Harrell

Shelly Harrell, PhD

Licensed psychologist specializing in multicultural and community psychology; Professor of Psychology in the Graduate School of Education at Pepperdine University.

Steven Hayes, PhD

Creator of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT); Nevada Foundation Professor at the Department of Psychology at the University of Nevada, Reno.

Miguel Gallardo, PsyD

Licensed Psychologist specializing in multicultural and social justice; Associate Professor at Pepperdine University’s Graduate School of Education and Psychology; author of Case Studies in Multicultural Counseling and Therapy.

Joan Borysenko, PhD

Founder of Mind/Body Health Sciences LLC; Author of New York Times Bestseller Minding the Body, Mending the Mind.

Ron Siegel, PsyD

Assistant Professor of Psychology, part time, Harvard Medical School; Author of The Mindfulness Solution: Everyday Practices for Everyday Problems and Sitting Together: Essential Skills for Mindfulness-Based Psychotherapy.

Kelly McGonigal, PhD

Health psychologist and lecturer at Stanford University; Author of The Upside of Stress: Why Stress Is Good for You and How to Get Good At It and The Willpower Instinct: How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do to Get More of It.

Bill O’Hanlon, LMFT

Co-developer of Solution-Oriented Therapy; Psychotherapist, speaker, and author of Do One Thing Different: Ten Simple Ways to Change Your Life.

Resmaa Menakem MSW LICSW SEP

Expert on conflict and violence; Teacher of Cultural Somatics; Former Director of Counseling Services for the Tubman Family Alliance; Former Behavioral Health Director for African American Family Services in Minneapolis.

Christine Padesky, PhD

Co-founder of the Center for Cognitive Therapy in Huntington Beach, California; Co-creator of Strengths-Based CBT; Co-author of Mind Over Mood and Collaborative Case Conceptualization.

Michael Yapko, PhD

Leading expert in clinical hypnosis and treating depression; Clinical psychologist and author of 15 books including his newest books, The Discriminating Therapist and Keys to Unlocking Depression.

Rick Hanson, PhD

Senior Fellow of the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley; New York Times bestselling author of Hardwiring Happiness and Buddha’s Brain.

Zindel Segal, PhD

A founder of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT); Professor of Psychology at the University of Toronto.

Stan Tatkin, PsyD, MFT

Founder of the PACT Training Institute and developer of a Psychobiological Approach to Couple Therapy (PACT).

Deany Laliotis, LICSW

Director of Training at EMDR Institute; Specialist in treatment of traumatic stress disorders and attachment issues; author of chapters and articles on EMDR therapy.

Onno van der Hart PhD

Psychotraumatologist and Emeritus Professor of Psychopathology of Chronic Trauma; Co-Author of Treating Trauma-Related Dissociation and co-author of The Haunted Self.

Kelly Wilson, PhD

Co-author of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: An Experiential Approach to Behavior Change; Founder of OneLife Education Training, LLC.

Terry Real, MSW, LICSW

Founder of the Relational Life Institute; author of I Don’t Want to Talk About It: Overcoming the Secret Legacy of Male Depression and The New Rules of Marriage: What You Need to Make Love Work.

Richard Schwartz, PhD

Founder of Internal Family Systems (IFS) and The Center for Self Leadership.

Melanie Greenberg PhD

Clinical Psychologist and Author of The Stress-Proof Brain.

Judson Brewer MD PhD

Founder of Claritas MindSciences; Formative leader in combining mindfulness and neurofeedback techniques for working with addiction; Author of The Craving Mind.

Lynn Lyons, LICSW

Author of Anxious Kids, Anxious Parents: 7 Ways to Stop the Worry Cycle and Raise Courageous & Independent Children, clinical social worker and psychotherapist specializing in anxiety in adults and children.

Bonnie Goldstein, PhD

Founder and Director of the Lifespan Psychological Center; Co-author of Understanding, Diagnosing, and Treating AD/HD in Children and Adolescents.

Deb Dana, LCSW

Coordinator of the Traumatic Stress Research Consortium at the Kinsey Institute; Developer of the Rhythm of Regulation Clinical Training Series; author of Polyvagal Theory in Therapy.

Here's What You'll Get:

Everything is yours to keep forever in your professional library

Check mark Downloadable videos so you can watch at your convenience, on any device
Check mark Audio recordings you can download and listen to at home, in the car, at the gym or wherever you like
Check mark Professionally-formatted transcripts of the sessions, to make review and action simple
Check mark Two downloadable bonus videos to help you work with a Client’s Perfectionism

Get 2 Bonuses That Give You Even More Strategies for Working with a Client’s Perfectionism

Bonus 1

Bonus 1

Working with Perfectionist Parents (and the Children Who Survive Them)

Joan Borysenko,PhD     Melanie Greenberg, PhD
Deb Dana, LCSW     Kelly Wilson, PhD
  • How to help parents see the real-world impact of their perfectionist messaging
  • A powerful way to break the perfectionism cycle between parent and child
  • Why some kids are more affected than others by performance expectations

Bonus 2

Bonus 2

How to Work with the Perfectionist Who Expects Perfection in Others

Terry Real, MSW, LICSW     Pat Ogden, PhD
Melanie Greenberg, PhD     Miguel Gallardo, PsyD
  • How to help clients let go of the contempt they harbor toward others
  • One strategy to help clients redirect judgmental thoughts
  • One of the strongest factors that can shift a client into accepting other people’s imperfections

Register Here for $197

You’ll get all of the video & audio recordings (so you can listen and watch whenever you want),
as well as the transcripts and learning tools

Sign Me Up

Up to 3.75 CE/CME Credits or Clock Hours are available for purchase at checkout.

Click HERE to get information about CE/CME credits and clock hours as well as speaker disclosures

Starting Today, This Program Can Change the Way You Practice

. . . I feel so fortunate to have this access to brain power, experience and research synthesis . . .

“When I listen to the experts talk openly about their experience, I feel so fortunate to have this access to brain power, experience and research synthesis on cutting edge issues! I go back to the videos to reinforce things that will assist my clients.”

Mary Logan, Counselor
Ipswich, MA

I benefit, my practice benefits, and most important my clients benefit . . .

“I live in Nova Scotia and have limited travel funds at the university at which I work. The series provided by NICABM gives me the rare opportunity to listen to the leaders in the field. As a result, I learn valuable information that would not otherwise be available to me. I benefit, my practice benefits, and most important my clients benefit from the knowledge and wisdom I gain from the series.”

David Mensink, PhD Counseling Psychology, Psychologist
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

. . . some dare to go the extra journey to research and educate

“These NICABM series keep me afloat, in touch, on track, well trained in my field, and more personally healthy. The best aspect, though, is that I feel validated and comforted knowing that some dare to go the extra journey to research and educate, so I can walk the path to health, and can share with others.”

Mary Corsello-Vilcheck, LCSW
Midlothian, VA

Course Director

Ruth Buczynski, PhD

Dr. Ruth Buczynski is a licensed psychologist and founder and president of The National Institute for the Clinical Application of Behavioral Medicine (NICABM). NICABM helps physicians, nurses, psychologists, social workers, and counselors – practitioners who have some of the most significant and life-changing missions on the planet – provide cutting-edge, research-based treatment strategies to their patients. For more than 25 years, NICABM has offered accredited training and professional development programs to thousands of practitioners worldwide.

Why the Transcript Is Essential:

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  • The transcript makes it easy to go back and double check concepts, citations and names that are mentioned
  • We put in a table of contents to make it easy for you to find the exact part of the webinar you need
  • Having the concepts already written allows you to take notes on how you’re going to use the ideas rather than transcribing the ideas
  • Some people simply learn better by reading than by listening or watching
  • You will be able to print out and share techniques presented in the session with your patients

Angela Lawrence

“I really liked being able to follow along with the transcripts as I listened…it was nice not to feel like I had to take notes. I really feel like I remember more when I both hear and see at the same time.”

Mary Ellen McNaughton, Masters in Counseling, Psychology Counselor
Kelowna, British Colombia, Canada


30 Day Money Back Guarantee

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We invite you to register for this comprehensive training program without any risk. Unless you are completely satisfied, we will refund your money. Just let us know within 30 days from the date of registration. We are that confident that you will find this information to be more than you expected.

Register Here for $197

You’ll get all of the video & audio recordings (so you can listen and watch whenever you want),
as well as the transcripts and learning tools

Sign Me Up

Up to 3.75 CE/CME Credits or Clock Hours are available for purchase at checkout.

Click HERE to get information about CE/CME credits and clock hours as well as speaker disclosures

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