In-Person Therapy for High Achievers and Perfectionists on Long Island and NYC
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In-Person Therapy for High Achievers and Perfectionists on Long Island and NYC
You’ve achieved, organized, and performed , and people may see you as capable, composed, or dependable. But inside, you might feel tense, always “on,” and never fully at ease.
Perfectionism and emotional overcontrol can look like strength and discipline, yet leave you feeling stuck, exhausted, or disconnected from what really matters.
Therapy designed for these patterns helps you loosen rigid expectations, build emotional flexibility, and reconnect with yourself and others.
Even Therapists Practice This Work
Perfectionism doesn’t disappear just because someone becomes a therapist. Many clinicians especially thoughtful, high-achieving ones are drawn to this work because they understand what it’s like to live with pressure, self-criticism, or the constant drive to get things “right ” patterns often linked to cognitive dysregulation.
Chris, one of our therapists at Suffolk DBT, openly recognizes his own perfectionistic tendencies. Rather than viewing this as a flaw, he approaches it with curiosity and humility using the same principles taught in therapy to notice rigidity, practice flexibility, and relate to himself with less judgment.
This lived understanding allows him to sit with clients in a genuine way during in-person therapy sessions in our NYC and Long Island offices. Not as someone who has “figured it all out,” but as someone who understands how difficult it can be to soften control and still feel safe.
Therapy isn’t about eliminating perfectionism it’s about learning when to loosen it, when to hold it lightly, and how to feel less defined by it.
At Suffolk DBT, we value clinicians who engage in this work themselves. We believe therapy is most effective when it is practiced, not just taught, and when it takes place in a supportive, in-person setting that allows for real connection and growth.
Through RO-DBT skills, clients learn to balance discipline with openness and experience connection rather than just accomplishment.
What sessions with an RO-DBT therapist look like
In therapy with Christopher Montano, LMSW, clients can expect
A familiar structure including skills modules, weekly practice, and the use of diary cards to track progress. However, RO-DBT focuses on a different set of behaviors, not emotional outbursts or impulsivity, but patterns of overcontrol such as perfectionism, high achievement, emotional inhibition, and rigidity.
Sessions often include learning and practicing
As a bilingual clinician, Chris provides therapy in English or Spanish
Supporting clients in building lives that feel more spontaneous, authentic, and connected, without losing the sense of purpose or drive that once made their perfectionism feel necessary.
What Helps Perfectionism?
Our New York licensed therapist, Chris Montano will guide clients through both individual sessions and RO-DBT skills groups, where they learn skills such as social signaling, openness, and emotional expression. We are teaching real skills backed by science.
Between sessions, clients are encouraged to practice new behaviors and mindfulness exercises to apply these insights in daily life, with phone coaching available as needed. Weekly Team Consultation to ensure every client receives high-quality, consistent care.
Begin Treatment at Suffolk DBT for Perfectionism and High Achievement
The Process Begins With a Phone Call
During your initial screening call we will gather information about your history, discuss our intake process and schedule an appointment for a formal intake with Chris, who specializes in perfectionism and emotional over control. Our programs are tailored to your needs.
Can benefit from learning flexibility and emotional openness early in life.
Can focus on reducing perfectionistic patterns, increasing self-expression, and building deeper connections.
Real Stories from Families
GET STARTED TODAY
Ready to Get Started and speak with an Intake Specialist?
Suffolk DBT proudly provides radically open dialectical behavior therapy (RO-DBT), a form of dialectical behavioral therapy, at their offices in Manhattan and Long Island, New York and online. Their experienced NYC counselors specialize in serving teens, children, adults, and college students struggling with depression, borderline personality disorder, eating disorders, self-harm, and more. Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) skills and treatment can help you manage emotions effectively and work through life’s challenges.
Completely confidential. Only takes 10-15 minutes.
