Rachel Fusco (she/her)
Accepting new clients in Ridgefield, Connecticut and virtual therapy for clients located in California and Connecticut.
Welcome.
I support high achievers who struggle with anxiety, people-pleasing, imposter syndrome, perfectionism, and a loud inner-critic afraid of disappointing others. I’ll help you understand why your inner critic has become so mean and, more importantly, I’ll help you interrupt your negative self-talk and replace your inner voice with a kind, encouraging, supportive inner voice. Together, we’ll help you become as nice to yourself as you are to others.
I am accepting new clients in person out of Ridgefield, Connecticut and I provide virtual therapy for clients located anywhere in California or Connecticut.
Learn more about why I became a therapist and my therapeutic approach.
I help parents navigate big feelings and school transitions with their kids from kindergarten to college.
From thinking about college to graduating from graduate school, I help clients feel good about their skills and their next steps.
I provide in person therapy for kids, tweens, teens, and adults in Ridgefield, CT.
I offer virtual therapy for kids, tweens, teens, and adults located in California and Connecticut.
I specialize in working with high achievers who struggle with anxiety, perfectionism, people-pleasing, imposter syndrome, and a loud inner-critic. This looks different from person to person, but it might look like:
excessive worry about assignments or projects, thinking you’ll do poorly or fail despite the evidence that it usually turns out ok
excessive guilt or shame that you aren’t doing enough or being enough, worry that you will disappoint others or yourself
difficulty saying no and taking on more work, staying up late fixing group work, and taking on more than you want to or more than you can handle
difficulty asking for help and worrying about being a burden or letting other people down, feeling obligated to do the thing on your own to prove that you can to yourself or to others
low self-esteem from not feeling good enough, from social pressures, from messages that you are too big, too small, too much, and not enough
sadness and/or losing interests in the things that you used to enjoy, things that now feel like pressure or a disappointment
lack of motivation and difficulty concentrating because you’re feeling uninterested, overwhelmed, unsure about where to start, or frustrated because it’s hard to keep up
falling behind on work because you’re doing too much and don’t know how to say no or because big feelings like worry or anxiety are interrupting your work flow
loneliness or isolation because of social anxiety and worry that you will say the wrong thing, embarrass yourself, or feel awkward
self-criticism and internal thoughts that are really, really mean - thoughts that you’d never say to someone that you care about!
people-pleasing because it feels mean to be assertive or wrong to have boundaries
explosive anger that comes up unexpectedly because you have a limit to accepting whatever comes your way and being passive with friends, teachers, bosses, partners takes a toll on you
internalized -isms that you hate but are still in your head about gender, race, sexuality, ability, body size, etc
self-harm because these thoughts and feelings are overwhelming and sometimes cutting or doom scrolling on social media or thinking about ending your life is a way to move through the hurt
Nearly 20 years ago, I started working with college students and have worked my way from high school to middle school to elementary school simply because I am passionate about promoting mental health skills as early as possible. I also love working with the adults and professionals that support young people because when we are our best and healthiest selves, we show kids that the same is possible for them.