What I help with
Self-Worth and Identity Counselling in Albany
If the voice in your head is harsher than you would ever be with anyone else, or if you have lost a clear sense of who you are and what you want, you are not alone. The way you relate to yourself can soften, and counselling is a good place for that gentler relationship to begin.
Our sense of worth is not something we are born doubting. It is shaped, over years, by the messages we absorbed, the comparisons we made, and the ways we learned to earn approval or avoid criticism. When that inner voice becomes critical enough, it can start to feel like simple truth. Counselling helps you step back far enough to see it for what it is, and to build something kinder in its place.
What struggling with self-worth can look like
Low self-worth is not always obvious, even to the person living with it. It often hides inside habits that look like conscientiousness or humility. It might look like:
- Holding yourself to standards you would never expect of anyone else, and treating any shortfall as proof of not being good enough.
- Struggling to accept a compliment, deflecting it, or quietly waiting for the moment people realise you are not what they think.
- Shaping yourself around what others seem to want, until you are no longer sure what you actually feel, need or believe.
These patterns are not vanity or self-indulgence, and they are not permanent. They are learned ways of staying safe and accepted, and what is learned can be gently unlearned.
How counselling with Rene approaches self-worth and identity
Rene will not try to talk you into liking yourself with slogans or affirmations. Instead she helps you understand where your harsh self-judgment came from and what it has been trying to protect you from. As that becomes clearer, its grip tends to loosen, and a more honest, compassionate view of yourself has room to grow.
Part of the work is noticing the inner critic and learning to relate to it differently. Part of it is reconnecting with your own values, wants and sense of direction, especially if you have spent a long time living by other people's. There is no pressure to become someone new. The aim is to help you feel more at home as yourself, and clearer about the life you actually want.
What to expect
There is no pressure and no fixed number of sessions. The first appointment is simply a conversation about how you have been relating to yourself and what you would like to feel differently, with no need to justify or explain it away. You and Rene find a pace together, and you stay in charge of what you explore. If counselling does not feel like the right fit, that is completely okay.
Sessions are available in person in Albany, Western Australia, and through secure online counselling across Australia if that is easier for you.
Ready when you are
The way you speak to yourself can change, and you do not have to work it out alone. Book a session with Rene, or ask a question first.