First, We Map It
Early sessions are about finding where the fraud feeling shows up — work, school, parenting, all of the above — and what it makes you do: overwork, hide, or hold back. No jargon, no judgment.
"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." — Eleanor Roosevelt
Are You Struggling With Imposter Syndrome?
If you keep waiting for someone to figure out you're not as capable as they think — despite a track record that says otherwise — you're not a fraud. You're a capable person whose brain won't let the evidence land. I'm Edward Davey, a Registered Social Worker and Psychotherapist (RSW, MSW), and that's exactly the kind of pattern I help people work on.
When Success Still Feels Like Luck
Here's the pattern: you get the job, the promotion, the compliment — and instead of enjoying it, your brain starts explaining it away. Right place, right time. They just haven't seen the real you yet. So you over-prepare, overwork, and hold your breath, waiting to be found out. From the outside you look successful. From the inside it feels like a countdown.
Imposter syndrome is remarkably common in capable people — students, professionals, parents, business owners. It isn't proof that you're faking it. It's a thinking pattern: your wins get discounted, your mistakes get framed in neon, and the scoreboard never seems to count in your favour.
I'm based in Orangeville and serve clients across Dufferin County — and with virtual sessions, anywhere in Ontario. Wherever you're reading this from, help is closer than you think.
How I Work With Imposter Syndrome
My approach is collaborative and practical — and honestly, strength-based work was made for this. We start by collecting the actual evidence: your results, your feedback, the things people trust you with. Not affirmations on a sticky note — your real record, in black and white, where the fraud story has to argue with facts.
Then we learn to spot the moves your brain makes: discounting wins as luck, treating normal mistakes as exposure, comparing your inside to everyone else's outside. You'll get homework between sessions — small, concrete reps like keeping a wins log and practicing receiving a compliment without deflecting it into the floor.
Over time, the goal isn't arrogance and it isn't pretending. It's a fair scorecard — confidence that actually matches your track record, so you can go after the opportunities you've been quietly talking yourself out of.
What Sessions Look Like
Tools You Can Actually Use
Then we build practical counters: an evidence log of your real results, ways to separate feelings from facts, and reps at taking up the space you've earned. Practiced between sessions, so they become yours.
Owning Your Record
Over time, we notice what's working and build on it. The goal is a fair internal scorecard — confidence that matches the person everyone else already sees.
All sessions are currently offered virtually, available anywhere in Ontario.
Signs Therapy Might Help
- Feeling like a fraud despite your results
- Crediting luck or timing for every success
- Overpreparing so you won't be “found out”
- Deflecting compliments automatically
- Comparing your insides to everyone's outsides
- Avoiding promotions, applications, or opportunities
Common Questions
Is imposter syndrome an actual diagnosis?
It's not a formal diagnosis — it's a very common pattern of thinking, and it shows up in high-achievers of every kind. You don't need a label to work on it. If the fraud feeling is costing you sleep, opportunities, or peace of mind, that's reason enough.
I'm actually new at my job — isn't some of this just true?
Some of it, sure — every learning curve is real. In therapy we separate the honest gaps (which we can plan for) from the fraud story (which ignores everything you've already proven). Both get treated fairly. Only one of them is lying to you.
Are sessions in person or virtual?
All sessions are currently virtual, available anywhere in Ontario. Many of my clients find it easier to open up from their own space — and there's no commute, no waiting room, no parking to worry about.
I've tried therapy before and it didn't stick. Why would this be different?
That happens more often than people admit, and it says nothing about you. My approach is collaborative and practical — we adjust together as we go. The free 15-minute consultation lets us both see if we're a good fit before you commit to anything.
Keep Exploring
Imposter syndrome rarely travels alone — it loves an overachiever's neighbourhood. You might also find these helpful:
Ready When You Are
Remember the proverb — the second best time is now. Start with a free 15-minute consultation: no pressure, no commitment, just a conversation about what's going on and whether we're a good fit.
Free 15-minute consultation · Individual 60 min $150 · 30 min $75
Many extended health benefit plans cover Registered Social Workers/Psychotherapists.
- 📞 (519) 942-5119
- ✉️ intake@therapywithedward.com
- 📸 @therapy.w.edward
- 📍 Virtual sessions across Ontario
- 🕐 Mon–Fri 12–10 PM · Sat closed · Sun 12–9 PM