Videos

Specific Treatments for Specific Populations

Perfectionism, or the tendency to demand or require perfection for oneself or others can be seen as an attempt to gain acceptance and avoid rejection or abandonment. Simultaneously, however, perfectionism can interfere with the establishment and maintenance of interpersonal connections and close relationships. Although perfectionism develops in a relational context, the impact it has on other behaviors can result in the fear of being criticized or judged. Effective therapists must acknowledge these nuances and work with the client to explore components of the client’s perfectionism, while effecting changes so that the client can meet his or her own needs without feeling the need to be perfect. In this video program, Dr. Paul L. Hewitt demonstrates his approach to helping clients who struggle with perfectionism, an integration of psychodynamic psychotherapy and interpersonal theory framework that emphasizes the importance of clinical formulation and the establishment of an effective therapeutic relationship.

More information on this video series can be found on the APA website

PsycTHERAPY Series I

Dynamic Relational Therapy for Perfectionism and Anxiety
In this video, Dr. Paul Hewitt demonstrates a dynamic relational therapy approach with a female graduate student whose parents immigrated to the United States from Mexico. The client presents with concerns related to anxiety and perfectionism. The therapist helps the client explore the psychodynamic and relational underpinnings of her issues, including her relationships with her parents and her brother. They also explore the client’s experiences in graduate school, as well as the recent buildup of responsibilities and stress that has come with motherhood. Dr. Hewitt demonstrates the collaborative approach characteristic of dynamic relational therapy in helping the client gradually build an understanding (clinical formulation) of her perfectionistic behavior as a strategy to get her needs met. The therapist and client also explore the client’s cyclical relational pattern, including how it manifests during the course of the therapy session. Throughout the session, Dr. Hewitt helps the client recognize the importance of paying closer attention to her internal emotional experience, and the value of sharing that experience with others.

PsycTHERAPY Series II

Dynamic Relational Therapy for Perfectionism and Grief
In this session, Dr. Paul Hewitt demonstrates dynamic relational therapy with an undergraduate student who presents with concerns related to perfectionism, impression management, and grief. The therapist helps the client explore her tendency to manage others’ impressions of her and her desire to always want to fit in. They also discuss the client’s upbringing in a low-income, single-parent household, her mother’s long-term sickness and eventual death, her father’s incarceration, and the client’s experience with bullying as a young child. Dr. Hewitt works collaboratively with the client to begin building a clinical formulation and identifying the client’s cyclical relational patterns throughout her life, including her tendency to push away her grief and other emotions related to her mother’s death. The therapist and client conclude the session by discussing the client’s previous experiences in therapy and the possibility for continued treatment in the future.