Low self-esteem therapy & counseling
in Denver

Develop your self-confidence and live a better, healthier life.

We help with self-esteem and confidence issues

Even though people often don’t think about it, the most important relationship we may ever have in our lives is the one we have with ourselves. Self-esteem encompasses your attitude and self-worth—it’s the way you see and feel about yourself. That’s a very big deal. 

Your self-esteem is almost like the heart of your relationship with yourself. Self-esteem can be complex because it touches on your thoughts, emotions, and what you believe about your identity, which touches nearly every part of your life. Low self-esteem can develop on its own, from a negative life experience like narcissistic abuse, or it’s often a symptom of another type of mental health disorder, like depression

People often think of self-esteem and self-confidence in the same way. They’re very closely linked because they connect to the value you place on yourself as a person. When you have low self-esteem, or you’re struggling with self-confidence it can have a negative ripple effect that leads to more challenges in your everyday life at home, work, or at school.

When we don’t place value on our achievements, needs, abilities, or place in this world, it’s almost like we are fighting internally with ourselves, which weakens our sense of self and identity. This can lead to a losing battle striving for approval, especially if you’ve experienced emotional abuse, changing who we are for other people, or hiding the way you really feel. This can become extremely heavy and habit-building over time.  

By working with a self-esteem therapist, it can provide a gateway to cultivating a nurturing connection with yourself. When you understand how you have become who you are, it helps you stop blaming yourself for things that have gone wrong, and the person you might now believe you are. This can help you embrace self-compassion, acceptance, and ultimately build your self-confidence in healthy, productive ways that can dramatically improve your life. 

When you’re able to improve your self-esteem and confidence, it can improve your life in ways that give you fulfillment, contentment, and help you feel more comfortable and confident living your life. 

woman looking up at sky

Symptoms of low self-esteem

If we have a negative view of ourselves, this low self-esteem can have a widespread effect on how we operate in the world—it’s our most deeply held beliefs about ourselves, who we are, and what we can achieve.

People with low self-esteem often place a lot of weight on how others perceive them, and wonder if those people approve of them, which can make them feel anxious or worried in all different environments.

When you have low self-esteem or low self-confidence, this can add a lot more pressure to everyday life because things like feedback, comments, and criticism can result in deeply negative feelings that can feel like a spiral, or similar to depression. 

Here are some of the most common symptoms of low self-esteem:

  • Avoiding social situations at home, school, or work
  • Constantly being pessimistic or focusing on the negative in everything
  • Feeling irritated or annoyed, especially when confronted with questions about their confidence or performance
  • Being extremely critical of themselves, their performance, or abilities in all different contexts
  • Feeling insecure or wondering if people are talking about them, even when it’s unlikely in the situation
  • Overreacting to situations and feeling very sensitive about their identity and people questioning them
  • Having a hard time making decisions, no matter how big or small they are 
  • Feeling like they have to be perfect or that they’re not doing a good job proving themselves.

What affects your self-esteem

Outside of your past experiences, your self-esteem can be affected by so many things around us every day, including the people around you, the things you watch on TV, and especially what you see on social media today that leave you feeling like you’re not “good enough.” Also, many studies indicate that some factors of self-esteem can be affected by hereditary traits

Some of the main things that can affect your self-esteem are:

  • Your background: Whether that’s cultural, religious, or relationships with your family.  
  • Experiences: You might’ve grown up with a challenging family life, had traumatic experience at work or school, or had people in your life who criticized you, lowering your self-esteem.
  • Relationships with others: If you have negative interactions with people or find that you’re worried about what people are saying or thinking about you, that can have a dramatic effect on your self-esteem.
  • How you feel about yourself: When you see yourself a certain way and believe it to be true, that can have a powerful effect on your self-esteem and confidence in any context.

Treating low self-esteem is important

When you struggle with self-esteem issues, it becomes especially problematic when the negative feelings you have about yourself hold you back from living life the way you would want to.

Low self-esteem, however it manifests in your life, is important to treat because of how it affects your entire identity. Therapy can help your build your self-confidence and address low self-esteem issues by helping you see what you might be missing in yourself. It’s about more than validation—it’s about breaking the patterns that have led to your low self-esteem.

While everyone experiences ups and downs, constant low self-esteem can intensify if left untreated, potentially escalating into major depressive disorders and other mental health issues. With the help of a therapist, you can address low-esteem property to prevent larger negative effects on all parts of your life. 

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Healing may not be so much about getting better, as about letting go of everything that isn’t you – all of the expectations, all of the beliefs – and becoming who you are.

Rachel Naomi Remen

Annie Hause
(MA, LPC)
MacKenzie King
(MS, LPCC)
Aria Kirby
(MS, LPCC)
Erika Baum
(Counseling Intern)
Taylor Damitio
(MA, LPCC)
Lance Hill
(MA, LPC)
Kelly Albers
(MA, LPC)
Maci Luther
(MA, LPCC)
John Hague
(MA, LPC)
Corinne Bailey
(MSW, LCSW)
Gigi Woodall
(MS, MFTC)
Allie Evans
(MMFT, LMFT)
Nicole Wolf
(MA, LPC)
Hillary Naef
(MA, LPC)
Shannon Keane
(MSN, FNP-C, PMHNP-BC)
Alex Song
(MA, LPC)
Courtneyrose Chung
(MMFT, LMFT, LPC, LAC)
Jelly Bean
(Therapy Dog)
 

Meet our Denver therapists

My Denver Therapy is one of the largest woman-owned therapy private practices in Colorado with many of the best, most requested therapists in Denver. 

As a therapist-owned practice with decades of combined experience, we care about seeing our clients heal, grow, and thrive. We’re one of the only therapy practices in Colorado with licensed professional counselors, marriage and family therapists, addiction counselors, social workers, and psychiatric nurse practitioners who actively see new clients. Whether you’re an adult, teen, young adult, couple, or family, our inclusive therapist team is built to specialize in you.

Our practice started with one therapist in a shared office suite, but we’ve grown to help thousands of people in Colorado by providing in-person therapy at our conveniently located Denver Metro area counseling offices in Denver, Greenwood Village, and Lone Tree, plus online therapy for clients throughout Colorado. Because of the way our team works, our therapists provide consultation for other therapists and private practices in the Denver Metro area.

Our inclusive therapists provide some of the most innovative, effective, and in-demand forms of therapy available today, including EMDR, Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, CBT, and IFS. We also have more therapists trained in Ketamine-assisted therapy and more teen therapists and young adult counselors than nearly every other private practice in Denver.

We know that clients want to find the best therapists in Denver, so our team includes therapists with different backgrounds, specialities, and experiences to help you find the right fit. We’ll match you with one of our therapists who is the best for your goals, location, budget, and schedule to help you get started quickly.

We’re out of network for insurance, Tricare, and are unable to take Medicaid, but most of our therapists’ rates are lower than the local and national averages for therapy. 

All of our therapists take a client-focused approach to counseling and approach each session with  a commitment to your progress and growth.

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