Therapy for Black Women Who People-Please Too Much
If you’re always the one solving, fixing, or showing up, therapy helps you understand how you got here — and how to respond differently.
Vetted by:
Trusted Experience Working With High-Achieving Black Women
3,600+ hours helping Black women untangle people-pleasing and overfunctioning
10+ years supporting women navigating burnout, anxiety, and relationship pressure
Specialized training in relational patterns, emotional reactivity, and family roles
When You’re Done Pretending It’s FineWhen Being “Okay” Is Your Default Setting
You’ve spent years taking care of everyone else’s needs before your own.
You keep the peace, manage the details, anticipate problems, and smooth over tension.
But the constant pressure is wearing on you, and you’re realizing you can’t keep running at this pace without losing yourself.
What It Looks Like in Real Life
And How It Shows Up Without You Realizing It
Here’s what this often looks like for Black women:
Saying “yes” before you even check in with yourself
Feeling guilty for resting, slowing down, or letting something wait
Taking on other people’s responsibilities because you can’t stand watching things fall apart
Handling the emotional load in your relationships — even when no one asks how you are
Feeling irritated, resentful, or exhausted, but pushing through anyway
Showing up as the reliable one at work, at home, and in your family
Holding everything together but falling apart when you’re finally alone
Feeling anxious or “not doing enough” even when you’re doing the most
Feeling like your worth is tied to how much you handle or fix
Struggling to ask for help because it feels easier to do it yourself
These patterns don’t come out of nowhere.
They’re roles you learned to step into early, often out of necessity.
Why You Always Show Up This Way
Many Black women grow up with unspoken expectations:
Be strong
Be agreeable
Don’t cause problems
Handle it yourself
So you learned to anticipate everyone’s needs, fix things before they break, and stay pleasant no matter what you feel.
What once helped you survive or stay connected now leaves you stretched thin, responsible for everything and centered in almost nothing.
What We Work On Together
Untangling the pressure to perform, fix, or hold everything together and understanding where that expectation came from
Breaking the pattern of saying “yes” when you’re exhausted without swinging to the other extreme
Learning how to show up without overextending yourself and without feeling guilty for choosing differently
Noticing the moment you start slipping into overfunctioning and practicing small shifts that actually stick
Redefining your worth outside of productivity, responsibility, or being the one who holds it all
Building boundaries that feel natural, not aggressive or performative
As You Start Doing the Work
You Stop Taking On Everything and Everyone
You stop jumping into fixer mode automatically.
You can name what you need, take your time before saying yes, and let relationships feel more balanced instead of one-sided.
The pressure eases because you’re not carrying what isn’t yours anymore.
When You’re Ready for Something DifferentYou Don’t Have to Keep Running on Empty
If you want to stop reacting from old roles and start responding from who you are now, therapy can help you get there.
Reach out when you’re ready.
Therapy for Black Women Across New Jersey
Whether you’re in Ocean, Gloucester, Atlantic, or Hunterdon County — or anywhere in New Jersey — I offer online therapy for Black women navigating people-pleasing, burnout, and overfunctioning.
Virtual sessions make it easier to get consistent support, without adding another thing to your already full plate.