The way that you think about yourself and your worth as a person can be described as your self-esteem.
Low self-esteem generally arises from damages to a person’s self-esteem such as bullying or harassment, relationship breakdowns or loss of a job through redundancy or dismissal. Once a person has experienced these events, or something of a similar nature, they can begin to question their worth as person based on these events, even blaming themselves for events that may be outside their control. These negative thoughts can lead to feelings of self-doubt and can contribute to low self-esteem.
Addressing low self-esteem
Low self-esteem is often associated with many other psychological and emotional difficulties such as depression, lack of motivation, feeling lethargic, feelings of hopelessness for the future, feelings of worthlessness, withdrawing from social activities or loss of pleasure in activities previously found enjoyable.
Psychological treatment to address low self-esteem focuses on increasing an individual’s self-confidence, or the belief that one has the necessary skills to successfully complete a task, or the skills to seek the information necessary to complete a task. When a person has an appropriate level of self-confidence, the negative consequences of a task will not seem so overwhelming and fear inducing, although all possible consequences of a particular situation, good and bad, are accepted. Without adequate self-confidence, the fear of negative consequences (fear of failure) will quite often deter an individual from acting, even if they realistically possess all the relevant skills to complete the task.
Match with a Psychologist
Getting help
At Strategic Psychology we have experienced psychologists who are able to assist you to address negative self-beliefs that can lead to low self-confidence and low self-esteem. Through a combination of focussed psychological strategies including cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), we can help you to understand how these beliefs have formed over the course of your history. We will work with you on strategies to elevate your thoughts about yourself, your self-worth and your competence to help you to live a meaningful, enriching life.
Contact us at Strategic Psychology via phone, email, or drop in to our office to arrange to see one of our psychologists if you would like to address any unhelpful thoughts or beliefs you may have.
No referral is needed to see one of our psychologists, however, if you would like to access rebates under Medicare you will need to attend your GP and obtain a referral for a Mental Health Treatment Plan (if eligible) before attending your appointment.