Imposter Syndrome Therapy - Online & In Person in Sittingbourne, Kent

Imposter syndrome describes the experience of persistently doubting your own competence and fearing that others will "find you out" - despite ongoing evidence that you're capable and deserving. It was first identified by psychologists Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes in 1978, who noticed the pattern in high-achieving women. Since then, research has shown it affects people of all genders and backgrounds, and is particularly common in demanding professional environments. It's not a clinical diagnosis - but the distress it causes is very real, and it responds well to therapy.

Because the impact on daily life is real regardless of what it's called. People struggling with imposter feelings often experience chronic anxiety, exhaustion from overworking, missed opportunities from avoidance, and a persistent sense of not being able to enjoy what they've achieved. Therapy doesn't require a diagnosis - it requires a problem that's getting in the way. If imposter syndrome is affecting your work, your relationships, or how you feel about yourself, that's more than enough reason to seek support.

They overlap but aren't the same thing. Low self-esteem tends to be a generalised negative view of oneself. Anxiety is a broader pattern of worry and threat-detection. Imposter syndrome is more specific - it's tied to achievement, competence, and the fear of being exposed. Many people with imposter syndrome don't feel generally bad about themselves, but specifically doubt whether they deserve their professional success or position. In therapy, we work with all of these layers, since they tend to reinforce each other.

It's a metaphor from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Imagine you're in a tug of war with your imposter syndrome - pulling against it, trying to defeat it, exhausting yourself in the struggle. The insight ACT offers is that the solution isn't to pull harder. It's to drop the rope entirely. Not because imposter syndrome has won, but because the struggle itself is what's keeping it alive and draining your energy. When you stop fighting the thoughts and instead turn your attention towards what actually matters - your values, your work, your relationships - the thoughts lose their grip, even if they don't disappear completely.

Imposter syndrome tends to make fear the primary driver of behaviour - fear of being found out, fear of failure, fear of judgement. Values offer a different compass. When you're clear about what genuinely matters to you - being a good colleague, contributing meaningfully, staying curious - you have something to move towards rather than just away from. In therapy, values work helps you make decisions and take action based on what you care about rather than what you're afraid of. This doesn't silence the doubt, but it puts you back in the driving seat.

I draw on CBT, ACT, Compassion Focused Therapy, and EMDR - not as a fixed sequence, but integrated in a way that's tailored to you. CBT helps identify and reappraise the thinking patterns that maintain imposter feelings. ACT helps you step back from the thoughts and act in line with your values even when doubt is present. CFT addresses the shame and self-criticism that often sit underneath imposter syndrome. And where imposter feelings are rooted in specific earlier experiences - being criticised, humiliated, or made to feel not good enough - EMDR can help process those memories so they lose their emotional charge.

There's no fixed answer - it depends on how long the patterns have been present, how much they're affecting your life, and what you'd like to be different. Some people make meaningful shifts in a focused short-term piece of work. Others prefer longer-term support to consolidate change and explore things more deeply. We'll review regularly throughout therapy and let your goals and progress shape the pace. The aim is always to work as efficiently as possible without cutting things short before the change has had time to settle.

It's a 15-minute phone call with no obligation and no pressure. We'll talk about what's been going on for you, what you're hoping for from therapy, and how I work. It's also a chance for you to ask any questions and get a sense of whether working together feels like the right fit. If it does, we'll arrange a first session. If it doesn't, that's fine too - there's no expectation either way.