About this resource
High standards can help, until they become rigid and harsh. This reflection explores where perfectionism shows up, the costs and benefits, the rules behind it, what happens when standards are not met and what good enough could look like in one area of life.
Purpose
To help clients understand their perfectionism and experiment with flexible standards.
Who it is for
Primary profession: Counsellors and therapists. Also relevant for psychologists, youth workers.
Client or participant group: Adolescents and adults who struggle with perfectionism.
Practice setting: Individual counselling.
Suggested uses
- Perfectionism and procrastination
- Stress and burnout
- Students under pressure
- Self-criticism
Instructions for practitioners
- Acknowledge the benefits clients see in their standards.
- Explore costs gently.
- Choose one low-risk area to experiment with good enough.
- Review what happened.
Instructions for clients or participants
- Write where perfectionism shows up.
- List costs and benefits.
- Choose one area to try good enough.
Accessibility considerations
Can be completed verbally.
Scope and limitations
A reflective worksheet for use within counselling.
Research basis
Perfectionism and procrastination are well-studied patterns that keep distress going; cognitive behavioural approaches to perfectionism have growing evidence. Higher self-compassion is associated with lower distress, and compassion-focused approaches target self-criticism and shame.
- Egan, S. J., Wade, T. D., & Shafran, R. (2011). Perfectionism as a transdiagnostic process: A clinical review. Clinical Psychology Review, 31(2), 203–212. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2010.04.009
- Gilbert, P. (2009). Introducing compassion-focused therapy. Advances in Psychiatric Treatment, 15(3), 199–208. https://doi.org/10.1192/apt.bp.107.005264
- MacBeth, A., & Gumley, A. (2012). Exploring compassion: A meta-analysis of the association between self-compassion and psychopathology. Clinical Psychology Review, 32(6), 545–552. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2012.06.003
- NEFF, K. (2003). Self-Compassion: An Alternative Conceptualization of a Healthy Attitude Toward Oneself. Self and Identity, 2(2), 85–101. https://doi.org/10.1080/15298860309032
- Steel, P. (2007). The nature of procrastination: A meta-analytic and theoretical review of quintessential self-regulatory failure. Psychological Bulletin, 133(1), 65–94. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.133.1.65
What is included
A 2-page printable A4 PDF, including a practitioner notes page with the research basis (version 1.0).
Originality
Original Practitioner Plus content: wording, activity structure, layout and icons were created for this resource. No third-party worksheets, illustrations or text were reproduced.
