Identity, Perfectionism, and Self

Essays on the structures underneath who you take yourself to be. The perfectionism. The impostor experience. The inherited shame. The question of who you are when the role drops away. Start with whichever one sounds like you.

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Am I Giving Up or Being Smart?

You're thinking about going home. You've been thinking about it for a while. Maybe you've even looked at flights, apartments, job listings back home.

I Don't Recognize Myself Anymore

You used to know who you were. Not in some grand, philosophical way, in a practical way. You knew what you liked. You knew how you responded to things.

The In-Between

Too qualified to be a student, too precarious to feel like you've arrived. A therapist on the psychological weight of postdoctoral life.

The Loneliness of Competence

The most capable people in the university are often the most quietly stuck. A therapist explains the hidden psychological cost of academic success.

What a Midlife Crisis Is Actually About

It's not about the sports car. It's not about aging. It's about discovering, maybe for the first time, that you've been living someone else's life. A therapist explains what a midlife crisis actually is.

Why Do I Feel So Guilty All the Time?

You haven't done anything wrong. You know that. And yet the guilt is there. Constant, low-grade, humming underneath everything like an appliance you can't find to unplug...

Why Impostor Syndrome Doesn't Care How Successful You Are

You've tried listing your accomplishments. You've tried the affirmations. None of it touches the feeling. A therapist explains what impostor syndrome actually is and why the usual advice makes it worse.

Schedule a Free Consultation

I'll respond within a few hours on weekdays. A free 15-minute call first, just to see if this is the right fit.

Aaron Platt, MA (Counseling, La Salle; Sociology, UC Berkeley) is a therapist offering individual and couples therapy in English to clients worldwide. He completed his clinical internship at the Philadelphia Consultation Center and is a member of the American Counseling Association. His psychodynamic approach focuses on the patterns that keep people stuck, not the surface symptoms, but the underlying structure. Session fees and scheduling are on the fees page.

About Aaron