The Perfectionism Workbook for Teens: Activities to Help You Reduce Anxiety and Get Things Done

(Paperback)

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Unhealthy perfectionism can result in low self-esteem, severe anxiety, and self-destructive behavior and teens are especially vulnerable. Based in proven-effective cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), this workbook will help you develop the self-compassion and mindfulness tools you need to counteract the negative effects of perfectionism and develop new, healthy skills for boosting your self-confidence.In our high-pressure society, it s easy to hold ourselves (and others) to impossibly high standards. And when we fail to meet those standards as we inevitably do we may become overly critical of ourselves, or lash out toward others. While perfectionism is often associated with positive traits, such as conscientiousness, ambition, and pride in good work, dysfunctional perfectionism is destructive and can lead to anxiety, low self-esteem, relationship problems, and a number of mental health concerns, like depression, procrastination, and self-harm.With The Perfectionism Workbook for Teens, you ll gain a clear understanding of what perfectionism is and learn to differentiate between healthy and unhealthy perfectionism so you ll be better able to manage your own and others expectations. Using powerful tools drawn from cognitive behavioral and mindfulness-based therapies, you ll learn to identify your perfectionist thoughts, discover new ways of responding to your critical inner voice, and build the skills you need to combat negative behaviors based in perfectionism, like chronic procrastination.If perfectionism is causing trouble in your life, the techniques and exercises in this book will help you develop non-perfectionist skills and habits, leading to reduced fear, anxiety, and shame, and increased self-compassion and confidence in getting things done and handling daily pressures.

Reviews

"The Perfectionism Workbook for Teens takes the pain of perfectionism seriously, yet turns the work itself into playful, productive inquiry that expertly guides the young reader (adults, too!) through practical reflections that directly explore the pain, and open some very practical doors to learning, healing, and growth. ... From the first page to the last, the workbook is straightforward, intelligent, and creative in its approach; the most effective to be found anywhere. Highly, highly recommended."
--Linda Graham, MFT, author of Bouncing Back

"Chock-full of practical and useful exercises to reframe the perfectionistic outlook that keeps you from being your best true self at school, in friendships, and in life. I highly recommend this book to my clients, as well as parents, educators, and therapists."
--Christopher Willard, PsyD, author of Mindfulness for Teen Anxiety, and coauthor of Mindfulness for Teen Depression, Cambridge Health Alliance/Harvard Medical School

"The activities contained in this book will help readers to understand perfectionism, and to change the rigid patterns of thinking and behaving that keep it alive. The book is clear, accessible, easy to read, and rooted in evidence-based principles. Teens who struggle with perfectionism will discover practical strategies for letting go and getting on with their lives. Highly recommended!"
--Martin M. Antony, PhD, ABPP, professor of psychology at Ryerson University in Toronto, ON, Canada, and coauthor of When Perfect Isn't Good Enough

"This is a much-needed guide to help teens learn how to drop their maladaptive habits of perfectionism, and learn to be kinder and more supportive of themselves. Full of easy-to-understand exercises, this workbook will help teens change the way they relate to themselves so they can start living healthier, more productive lives."
--Kristin Neff, PhD, associate professor of educational psychology at the University of Texas at Austin, pioneering researcher who conducted the first empirical studies on self-compassion over a decade ago, and author of Self-Compassion

"This well-written workbook provides a very accessible way to get to know what perfectionism is and how it can affect teens, their families, and friends. ... The Perfectionism Workbook for Teens provides a format that guides readers to discover if perfectionism is a problem for them. ... Parents of teens will find this book to be very helpful in identifying if their daughter or son is having trouble based in trying to be too perfect. Mental health professionals are provided with an evidence-based therapy program that they can include in their practice with confidence. Overall, this is a very useful book that should be widely used."
--Richard P. Swinson, MD, professor emeritus in the department of psychiatry and neurosciences at McMaster University, medical director of the Anxiety Treatment and Research Clinic at St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, and coauthor of When Perfect Isn't Good Enough

Author Bio

Ann Marie Dobosz, MA, MFT, is a psychotherapist in private practice in San Francisco, CA, and the mental health
specialist for ReachOut USA. She has been passionate about youth health and well-being from her days as an editor at Ms. Magazine, where she focused on issues affecting teens and young adults. In her current work as a mental health professional, she specializes in helping people of all ages change unhealthy perfectionist patterns.