Individual Counseling in
Portland, Maine
Attachment-Based Therapy for Anxiety, People-Pleasing, and Perfectionism
People-pleasing and perfectionism can leave you feeling like you’re never good enough.
Trying to find your worth through achievement, productivity, or the approval of others often leads to anxiety, overwhelm, and burnout. Saying “yes” to everything just to be liked or loved can be exhausting—and still, it never feels like enough.
You’re doing everything you can, so why do you still feel this way?
If you find yourself caught in a constant loop of self-doubt, overthinking, or anxious striving, therapy can help you slow down and make sense of what’s happening underneath the surface.
Therapy for Anxious Attachment and Self-Worth
Anxiety can feel like an ever-present hum in the background—uncomfortable, persistent, and hard to quiet. You might find yourself battling thoughts of inadequacy or internal stories that reinforce a sense of not being enough.
These patterns often make sense when viewed through an attachment lens.
In therapy, we can pause this cycle and begin to understand what your anxiety, perfectionism, or people-pleasing are trying to protect.
Understanding Attachment in Individual Therapy
Anxiety and self-criticism often have protective roots. They’re strategies developed to help you feel safe, loved, and accepted. But over time, these same strategies can keep you stuck—disconnected from your needs and from a deeper sense of peace.
Together, we explore your attachment patterns and the emotional experiences that shaped them. Using Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) and Internal Family Systems (IFS), we work to:
Identify and understand the protective roles of perfectionism, people-pleasing, and self-criticism
Cultivate compassion and curiosity toward these parts of yourself
Access and heal the deeper emotions and wounds they’ve been protecting
As we do this work, you can begin to relate to yourself differently—less from anxiety and striving, and more from a sense of groundedness, clarity, and self-worth.
My Approach as an Attachment Therapist in Portland, Maine
I’m Cara Kraft, LCSW, an attachment therapist based in Portland, Maine.
In my practice, I help adults who struggle with anxiety, overthinking, and relational patterns rooted in attachment trauma. Whether you’re navigating self-doubt, burnout, or difficulties in relationships, our work focuses on building understanding and compassion toward yourself.
Therapy becomes a space to slow down, connect with your emotions, and transform long-standing patterns that no longer serve you.
By healing attachment wounds, you can show up in your relationships—and in your life—with more clarity, wisdom, and confidence.