Pobody’s nerfect, but many of us wish we were. At its best, perfectionism can lend itself to high levels of achievement and success. At its worst (and more often than not), perfectionism can prevent you from taking risks for fear of failure or feeling like no matter what you do, you’ll never be good enough. Jennifer Kemp is a clinical psychologist who has dedicated her career to working with individuals with perfectionism and problems associated with perfectionism including anxiety, depression, body-image and eating disorders, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. On this episode of POTC, Jennifer and Debbie discuss perfectionism, what it looks like, and strategies you can use to target perfectionistic behaviors. Join us in this episode to learn about the cost of perfectionism in relationships, emotional discomfort underlying perfectionism, and more!

• Debbie and Jill’s personal and professional experiences with perfectionism
  
• Jennifer’s life-long struggle with perfectionism that led her to becoming the expert she is today!
  
• Jennifer’s practical, evidence-based tips for noticing when perfectionism is problematic in your own life
  
• The link between perfectionism, burnout, and stress
  
• The cost of perfectionism in relationships
  
• Different forms of perfectionism and perfectionistic behavior 
  
• The underlying emotional discomfort at the heart of perfectionism (and how to approach it using data-based strategies!)
  
• Effective, compassionate strategies you can use to work with self-critical thinking
  

• Buy Jennifer’s book, The ACT Workbook for Perfectionism: Build Your Best (Imperfect) Life Using Powerful Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Self-Compassion Skills 
  
• Check out The Anxious Perfectionist: How to Manage Perfectionism-Driven Anxiety Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy  
  
• Listen to Never Good Enough by Rachel Ferguson
  
• Check out all of Jennifer’s resources at jenniferkemp.com.au 
  
• Grab your copy of all our favorite books at bookshop.org/shop/offtheclockpsych.
  
• Check out Debbie, Diana, Yael, and Jill’s websites to access their offerings, sign up for their newsletters, buy their books, and more!
  

Jennifer Kemp is a clinical psychologist in Australia. She works with clients who are struggling with perfectionism, as well as problems associated with perfectionism, like anxiety, depression, eating and body image problems, and obsessive compulsive disorder. Jennifer integrates ACT, behavior analysis, exposure and compassion focused therapy approaches in her therapeutic and consultation work. She also presents internationally on the topic of perfectionism. She provides professional consultation to therapists, seeking to deepen their therapeutic skills and fluency in ACT. She’s also the author of a new book, The ACT Workbook for Perfectionism.

• Episode 199. Belonging From the Inside Out with Meg McKelvie 
  
• Episode 88. Perfectionism with Sharon Martin
  
• Episode 172. Performing Under Pressure with Sian Beilock
  
• Episode 108. Is Your Self-Control Out of Control? Radically Open DBT with Hope Arnold (part 1)