Professional feeling anxious in a meeting setting

CBT for Imposter Syndrome

CBT for imposter syndrome — because you've earned your seat at the table

Specialist therapy for professionals who are successful by every measure except the one inside their own head. Evidence-based CBT. Online. Confidential.

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The gap between what you've achieved and what you believe you deserve

Imposter syndrome isn't a clinical diagnosis — it's a persistent psychological pattern first identified by Clance and Imes in 1978. It's characterised by a chronic inability to internalise your own competence, despite objective evidence of success.

In plain terms: you've done the work, got the results, earned the title — and you still feel like a fraud.

It's estimated that up to 70% of people experience imposter feelings at some point (Sakulku & Alexander, 2011). But for some — particularly high-achievers in demanding roles — it's a constant, exhausting undercurrent.

The irony? Imposter syndrome tends to afflict the most competent people. Those who genuinely aren't good enough rarely worry about it.

The professional's imposter playbook

  • Over-preparation. You prepare for every possible question, every scenario. Not because you're thorough — because you're terrified of being caught out.
  • Discounting success. Promotion? "Right place, right time." Every achievement has an explanation that doesn't involve you being good at what you do.
  • The comparison trap. Everyone else seems to know what they're doing. You're the only one improvising.
  • Avoiding visibility. You don't put yourself forward because being more visible means more opportunities to be exposed.
  • The perfectionism link. If you do it perfectly, no one can criticise. So everything takes three times as long.
  • Attributing success externally, failure internally. When things go well: luck. When things go wrong: proof you're not good enough.
  • Physical symptoms. Anxiety before presentations. Nausea before important meetings. Your body knows.

Why CBT is the most effective approach for imposter syndrome

Imposter syndrome is, at its core, a cognitive pattern — a systematic bias in how you process information about yourself. That makes it ideally suited to CBT.

Identifying the imposter cycle

Belief that you're inadequate → over-prepare or avoid → succeed → attribute success to effort/luck → belief remains intact. The cycle is self-reinforcing. CBT breaks it.

Challenging the double standard

If a colleague makes a mistake, it's human. If you make a mistake, it's confirmation of your inadequacy. CBT dismantles this double standard.

Behavioural experiments

What happens if you prepare normally instead of obsessively? What happens if you speak up without rehearsing every word? The real-world data almost always contradicts the imposter narrative.

Reprocessing core beliefs

Imposter syndrome is usually maintained by deep beliefs about not being "enough." CBT systematically updates them with evidence from your actual life. Not affirmations. Evidence.

Building genuine self-appraisal

The goal isn't to make you think you're brilliant at everything. It's to help you develop an accurate assessment of your competence.

The programme

The Confidence & Imposter Syndrome Programme

Phase 1: Assessment and formulation (sessions 1–2)

Comprehensive assessment of imposter patterns, underlying beliefs, and maintaining factors.

Phase 2: Understanding the pattern (sessions 3–4)

Psychoeducation about imposter syndrome — what it is, how it operates, and why high-achievers are particularly vulnerable.

Phase 3: Cognitive restructuring (sessions 5–8)

Identifying and challenging the specific thought patterns. Double standards, discounting the positive, catastrophising about being "found out."

Phase 4: Behavioural experiments (sessions 7–10)

Testing imposter beliefs in real-world situations. Reducing over-preparation, increasing visibility, delegating more.

Phase 5: Core belief work and relapse prevention (sessions 9–12)

Addressing deeper beliefs and building a sustainable framework for accurate self-appraisal.

8–12 sessions · Weekly 50-minute video sessions · From £960

The fact that you're reading this page suggests the imposter hasn't won yet.

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