Meet Katherine
Katherine McNichol is a Registered Psychotherapist who helps people break the people-pleasing patterns and master the art of setting healthy boundaries.
Katherine is dedicated to offering clear strategies for change, and helping recovering people-pleasers rediscover their power and agency to empower themselves.
Katherine’s Story
For years I avoided setting boundaries because I was scared. I was scared I would be seen as difficult, I was scared of causing a stir, being disliked or possibly losing relationships.
I wanted to avoid conflict, and sweep things under the rug and as a result I often stewed in silence and let resentment build, causing chronic stress that could have been avoided with a few quick but uncomfortable conversations.
After suffering for years with anxiety and self-criticism, I had my “I can’t live like this anymore” moment. I was tired of being taken advantage of, feeling unappreciated, dissatisfied, and voiceless. I was tired of making excuses and tolerating unhealthy relationships simply because they felt familiar.
I knew I wanted to break this pattern, so I learned how to set healthy boundaries, stopped trying to fix and change others and focused on doing my own inner work. This inner work required me to rediscover who I was beneath the people-pleasing, and I had to give myself permission to take up space, and let go of my fear of being seen as “too much”.
I started to listen to myself more, I learned to listen to my body, honor my needs, even in the face of guilt and fear and love myself enough to let unhealthy relationships go. As a result:
I stopped internalizing the issues of others as my own
I learned to express my needs and allowed myself to feel all the things I had suppressed over the years.
I learned to set healthy boundaries in my relationships, and overcame my fear of being judged and criticized.
I stopped carrying the burden of guilt when I did nothing wrong
I stopped putting everyone else’s happiness on my own shoulders.
Breaking the people-pleasing pattern has allowed me to explore deeply loving romantic partnerships, heal childhood hurts and develop honest relationships with family members, friends and co-workers and set boundaries that protect my peace and communicate my needs.
I love working with clients to dig under the surface to do the deeper work and explore what's getting them stuck.
If this is what your looking for than your in the right place!
