Perfectionism, Process-Based Therapy & The Anxious Perfectionist
About this episode
This episode explores the relationship between perfectionism, anxiety, and OCD with Dr. Clarissa Ong, focusing on process-based therapy as a treatment approach.
In this episode of Breaking the Rules, we’re joined by researcher and clinician Dr. Clarissa Ong to unpack the complex relationship between perfectionism, anxiety, and OCD — and to explore how process-based therapy, particularly ACT, offers a powerful lens for understanding and treating these patterns. Drawing on her research and her book The Anxious Perfectionist, Clarissa helps us move beyond surface-level symptoms and into the underlying processes that drive rigidity, rule-following, self-criticism, and all-or-nothing thinking. We explore perfectionism not as a simple personality trait, but as a pattern of inflexible rule-governed behaviour — one that can show up across OCD, generalized anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and beyond. The conversation dives into how values can become fused with perfectionistic rules, how therapy itself can become “a thing to perfect,” and why flexibility — not flawless performance — is the real treatment target. 💬 Key themes: • Perfectionism as rigidity around internal rules and standards • The overlap between perfectionism, OCD, and generalized anxiety • Why perfectionism is often more process than diagnosis • ACT vs CBT in the treatment…
More episodes of Breaking the Rules: A Clinician's Guide to Treating OCD
- Exposure Therapy in a Public Bathroom
- What Exposure Therapy Actually Feels Like (The Mentos/Jelly Bean Exercise)
- OCD and Productivity: The Struggle Behind the Scenes
- Developmental Patterns in OCD Onset and Flare-Ups
- Contamination OCD Isn’t Quirky
- Readiness, Uncertainty, and Behaviour Change in OCD Treatment
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