People pleasing therapy · Northwich & online
People pleasing therapy that gets to why saying no feels so hard
You can be kind, and still choose yourself. I am Leanne Astbury, a CBT psychotherapist. I help people who always put everyone else first understand what is really driving it, and change it, so you can stop abandoning yourself to keep other people happy.
Does people pleasing sound like you?
- You say yes when you really mean no, then quietly resent it.
- You over-apologise, even when nothing was your fault.
- You replay conversations, certain you said the wrong thing.
- You feel guilty the moment you put your own needs first.
- You feel responsible for other people's moods and emotions.
- You will do almost anything to avoid disappointing someone.
How people pleasing therapy with me works
You already know you could say no more often, set clearer boundaries, care less about what everyone thinks. Knowing it has never been the problem. The problem is that saying no feels genuinely unsafe, because of what you are afraid it would mean about you.
So we do not just practise boundary scripts and hope they hold. Using CBT, we look at where your people pleasing came from, and what it has been protecting you from. So often it traces back to learning, early on, that being agreeable, useful and easy to love was how you stayed safe and kept your place.
As that fear is understood and loosened, saying no stops feeling so dangerous. You begin to choose from what you actually want, rather than from fear, without losing an ounce of your warmth. We work one to one, online or face to face in Northwich, Cheshire.
What we can work on together
Whatever your people pleasing looks like, we can work with it, and with the fear sitting underneath it.
- Saying no without the guilt
- Setting boundaries that actually hold
- The fear of disappointing or upsetting people
- Resentment, exhaustion and burnout from over giving
- Feeling responsible for everyone else's feelings
- Rediscovering what you actually want
Starting people pleasing therapy
Every session is £100 — online or face to face in Northwich.
Most people begin with a free phone consultation, so we can talk through what you are struggling with and make sure I am the right fit for you before you commit to anything. There is no referral needed, no waiting list, and no pressure either way.
You can also start in your own time with my CBT workbook, Awaken Your Worth, or read more about how I work.
Book a free consultation call
Someone qualified to help
I am a qualified CBT Psychotherapist and Coach, and the author of Awaken Your Worth, with over ten years of experience helping people pleasers find their way back to themselves.
- Post Graduate Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy — University of Salford, 2017
- BA (Hons) in Psychology and Sociology — Liverpool Hope University, 2005
- Over 1,000 people helped
★★★★★After a lifetime of putting everyone else first and never feeling good enough, Leanne helped me understand why I did it and finally start to change it. I feel so much lighter, and for the first time I do not feel guilty for having my own needs. — Five star Google review
Common questions
Do you offer people pleasing therapy in Northwich and online?
Yes. I work online with people across the UK, and I also see people face to face in Northwich, Cheshire, so we can meet whichever suits you best.
Is your people pleasing therapy CBT?
Yes. I am a qualified CBT Psychotherapist and the work is grounded in evidence based CBT, combined with going beneath the behaviour to understand what saying no feels like it would cost you, and where that came from.
Will therapy make me selfish or uncaring?
No. You will not lose your kindness or your warmth. What changes is that your giving comes from genuine choice rather than fear, so you can still be there for the people you love without abandoning yourself in the process.
Do I need a referral from my GP?
No. You can contact me directly to arrange a free consultation call. There is no waiting list and no referral needed.
How much does people pleasing therapy cost?
Sessions are £100 each, online or face to face in Northwich. Most people begin with a free consultation call so we can make sure I am the right fit before booking.
How many sessions will I need?
It varies from person to person, and we talk it through on the call. There is no lock in, and we review how things are going as we go.
You can be kind, and still choose yourself.
Booking a call is the hardest part. Everything after that, we do together, and you will not be doing it alone.
Book a free consultation call