Carrying around a harsh inner critic is exhausting
For a lot of people, low self-esteem doesn't look like sadness. It looks like being the one who's always fine, always accommodating, always second-guessing whether you deserve the good things that come your way. It can show up as overachieving to prove your worth, staying quiet when you have something to say, or feeling like an outsider in your own life even when things look fine from the outside.
For youth and young adults especially, self-doubt can take root early and quietly shape how someone sees themselves for years. Learning to separate who you actually are from the harshest version of your inner voice is not something most people figure out on their own.
And for parents watching a child or family member struggle with self-worth, the questions can be just as real: How do I help without making it worse? How do I build them up without overcorrecting?
Centrepeace exists for all of these people.
What is self-esteem counselling?
Self-esteem counselling, sometimes called self-esteem therapy, is psychotherapy that looks at where self-doubt and self-criticism actually came from, rather than asking you to simply "think positive." Depending on what's brought you in, this can mean working through anxiety, depression, trauma, family relationships, or identity, since all of these can shape how someone sees their own worth.
"Building self-esteem" doesn't mean becoming a different person. It means getting some distance from the harshest version of your inner voice and building a steadier sense of who you are underneath it. At Centrepeace, this isn't a technique bolted onto other work, it's core to how sessions are structured.
A Therapist Who Treats the Cause, Not Just the Symptom
Pamela Bailey, MSW, RSW, brings 22+ years of experience to low self-esteem counselling in London, Ontario, and is authorized to provide psychotherapy under Ontario's Psychotherapy Act. Her approach is warm and identity-affirming rather than clinical, and self-esteem work often overlaps with the anxiety, depression, and identity-related self-worth struggles she sees regularly in her practice.
- Registered Social Worker (MSW, RSW), 22+ years of experience
- Authorized to provide psychotherapy under Ontario's Psychotherapy Act
- Works with youth (10+), adults, and families
Your first therapy session
Ongoing sessions
At your pace
What changes when you build a steadier sense of self-worth
A space where your self-worth is worth examining, not just fixed. Sessions are built around your actual goals, not a generic self-esteem checklist.
Support across the full picture. Anxiety, depression, family dynamics, identity, these can all intersect with low self-esteem. I work with the whole person.
Practical tools alongside the conversation. Sessions include concrete strategies for daily self-talk and boundary-setting, not just talking about feeling better.
Free initial consultation
Book a free 15-minute video consultation with Pam here.
Pamela Bailey
Book NowSocial Work/Psychotherapy Services
Counselling & Psychotherapy services provided by Pamela Bailey, BSW, MSW, RSW (OCSWSSW #813260) and student therapists under her supervision.
Pamela Bailey
Book NowFrequently asked questions about self-esteem counselling at Centrepeace
Self-esteem work often overlaps with anxiety, depression, people-pleasing, perfectionism, and difficulty setting boundaries. Sessions are built around what's actually going on for you, not a generic self-esteem checklist.
Yes. I work with young people from age 10, including support with self-doubt during a formative and often difficult stage.
I work with families and parents who want to understand and support a child or family member working through self-esteem struggles. Family counselling is available alongside individual sessions.
Yes. Centrepeace offers virtual sessions across Ontario, so you can access counselling wherever you are in the province.
Many extended health insurance plans cover sessions with a Registered Social Worker. I'm also a provider for First Nations Health Authority (NIHB). Check your plan's coverage for "Registered Social Worker (MSW)" or "MSW, RSW" services.
You don't have to talk yourself into confidence
Building a steadier sense of self-worth doesn't happen by accident, and it doesn't require you to have it all figured out before you start. Pam is accepting new clients for in-person sessions in London's Woodfield neighbourhood and virtually across Ontario.
