First, We Map It
Early sessions are about spotting where the standard turns harsh — work, home, appearance, parenting — and what it costs you in time and peace. No jargon, no judgment. An honest look at the pattern.
"Perfection is not attainable. But if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence." — Vince Lombardi
Are You Struggling With Perfectionism?
Your high standards helped build your life — I get that, and we're not throwing them away. But when the standard becomes “flawless or failure,” it stops helping and starts costing: your time, your sleep, your peace of mind. I'm Edward Davey (RSW, MSW), and I help people keep the excellence and lose the whip.
When Nothing Ever Feels Good Enough
You know the drill. The email gets reread five times. The project is done — and then done again, and somehow still not done. A small mistake can ruin an otherwise good day, because your brain grades on a curve of two marks: perfect, or not good enough. Other people call you meticulous. You call it exhausting.
Perfectionism often hides inside success, which is why it goes unaddressed for years. It works — until it doesn't: until the procrastination starts (why begin what might not be perfect?), the burnout creeps in, or you realize you can't remember the last time you finished something and simply felt good about it.
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 Perfectionism
My approach is collaborative and practical. First, we draw a line your brain keeps blurring: healthy striving (caring about quality) versus the inner critic (quality enforced by self-punishment). One of those built your career. The other is billing you for it. We keep the first and retire the second.
Then we run small, deliberate experiments — send the email after one reread, time-box the task, let a B+ leave the house — and watch what actually happens versus what your brain predicted. Between sessions, that's your homework: good-enough reps, sized so they stretch you without swamping you.
I'm strength-based, which matters here: you are not a problem to be fixed. You're a capable person with one setting turned up too high. Our job is to find the dial — so your standards work for you again, instead of the other way around.
What Sessions Look Like
Tools You Can Actually Use
Then we build the counters: good-enough reps, time-boxing, and ways of talking back to the inner critic with evidence. Practiced between sessions, so they become yours — not just something we talked about.
Excellence Without the Whip
Over time, the goal comes into focus: high standards powered by pride instead of fear. Work you're proud of, finished on time, with something left in the tank for the rest of your life.
All sessions are currently offered virtually, available anywhere in Ontario.
Signs Therapy Might Help
- Rewriting, rechecking, or redoing work endlessly
- All-or-nothing thinking — perfect or a failure
- Putting things off because they might not be perfect
- Taking feedback as proof you're not good enough
- Trouble delegating or letting things go
- Exhaustion that achievement never seems to fix
Common Questions
Won't easing up make me worse at my job?
We're not lowering your standards — we're removing the punishment attached to them. In practice, most perfectionists get faster and better when the fear backs off: less rework, less avoidance, more actual output. Excellence stays. The dread goes.
Is perfectionism just being detail-oriented?
Being detail-oriented feels satisfying when you nail the details. Perfectionism feels like relief when you finish — and only briefly. If the standard is costing you sleep, time, or joy, it's crossed the line from trait to burden, and burdens can be worked on.
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
Perfectionism keeps close company with a few other patterns. 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