Self-esteem therapy · Dubai & online
Therapy for low self-esteem in Dubai and online, in English or French.
Do you ever look around and always find someone who looks better, smarter, more social or more successful than you?
Someone with more friends, more confidence, a life that seems to come more easily?
The people who come to me for low self-esteem are usually feeling pretty low when they arrive, often a bit depressed overall. Many have stopped taking care of themselves, and have started to isolate a little.
What I see is people who compare themselves to others constantly, and always in the negative. What I see is people who, often (not always), feel on the verge of tears.
What I see is people who don't feel comfortable in social settings and tend to avoid them. When they do go, they replay the conversations in their mind long after they are over.
What I see is people who put enormous effort into performing, impressing, showing up in a certain way. It is almost like keeping up a facade, and it costs them a lot of energy. If they organise something, it has to be perfect. Doing less than perfect is simply not something they give themselves permission to do, and that takes a toll.
Low self-esteem often starts in childhood. It is hard to generalise, because every story is different. But it often grows in environments where people were taught, implicitly or explicitly, that they were not quite good enough, that they could do better, or that love was somehow conditional.
Some were compared to their siblings or to other children. Some were ignored or neglected. Others had their feelings dismissed or judged, and not only their feelings, but also parts of their personality and their needs.
Together, we map the story that created the difficulties you are living with today. From there, we develop self-compassion for the part of you that feels this way.
Depending on what you need, this work may include IFS (Internal Family Systems), and EMDR for core beliefs that feel stuck.
Over time, the people I work with express themselves more. Their relationships get better, and so does their relationship with themselves. The way they talk to themselves becomes kinder. They no longer carry the same shame or guilt they used to. They breathe a little better. They live a little better.
I see clients in person in Dubai and online, for people in Dubai and around the world, in English or French. Sessions usually last 50 minutes and are weekly at first. Insurance is accepted. You can start with a free 20-minute call to see whether we are a good fit.
Often, yes. Many people who come to me for low self-esteem are also feeling low or depressed. We look at the whole picture together.
It often starts in childhood, in environments where love felt conditional, where you were compared to others, or where your feelings, needs or personality were dismissed or judged.
Understanding the story behind how you feel is part of the work, because it helps you develop compassion for the part of you that is struggling. We go at a pace that feels right for you.
Yes. Through small changes that feel aligned with who you are, self-esteem builds over time.
Yes. I see clients online in Dubai and around the world.
Yes, all my sessions are available in English and in French.
The simplest way to find out whether we are a good fit is a free 20-minute call, in English or in French. You can reach me by WhatsApp or by email, whichever feels easier.
Further reading: burnout therapy in Dubai and guilt and shame: why you feel bad even when you've done nothing wrong.
This page is for information only and is not a substitute for therapy. If you are in crisis or thinking of harming yourself, please contact your local emergency services right away (in the UAE, call 999) or go to the nearest emergency department.