Perfectionism often feels like a badge of honor, but it can secretly drain your energy and self-worth. While striving for excellence can lead to achievements, the pursuit of flawlessness can also create constant stress, fear of rejection, and deep dissatisfaction. In this blog post, we explore how perfectionism manifests in different areas of life, and the painful emotional and cognitive processes that one experiences while caught in perfectionism. Learn how therapy can help you break the perfectionism cycle, tolerate discomfort, and embrace imperfection for greater self-compassion and fulfillment.

Feeling disconnected despite a busy social life?

Superficial relationships can leave us drained and unfulfilled. In this post, we dive into how to identify and overcome barriers to authentic connection. Learn how fears of rejection, poor communication, and self-censorship can hinder depth in relationships—and how therapy can help you develop meaningful, supportive connections that truly nourish you.

In this post, I provide questions for your reflection on the depth of your existing relationships.

Explore how therapy can help you deepen relationships, overcome fears of vulnerability, and build authentic connections that truly nourish you. If you're ready to break free from superficiality and cultivate deeper, more fulfilling bonds, get in touch today for professional guidance on your journey to authentic connections.

Have you ever found yourself emphasising certain aspects of your story to make it more convincing? We've all been there.

Especially when dealing with family, the temptation to simplify a complex situation is powerful.

Family dynamics can be deeply complicated, filled with mixed emotions, resentments, and ambivalence. It’s easy to reduce family members to one-dimensional labels, but doing so limits our ability to heal and grow. In this post, we explore the dangers of the single story and how embracing complexity can lead to true understanding and healing. Therapy can provide the space to untangle your family narrative, embrace nuance, and find a path to empathy, compassion, and healthier relationships. At Kaki Psychology, we offer support for those navigating difficult family dynamics, emotional growth, and personal healing.

Framing drives feelings.

What we repeat to ourselves and the perspective we choose largely shape how we feel about it. In particular, how we perceive failure will define our relationship with it.

Failure isn't something to avoid—it's a necessary part of growth. When you shift your perspective on mistakes, they become powerful learning tools. In therapy, we can explore how reframing failure can help you move past shame and embrace personal and professional growth.

Learn to view mistakes as stepping stones to success. Book a session with Dr Natasha Tung at Kaki Psychology, a trauma-informed clinical psychologist and couples counsellor in Prahran, Melbourne, today.

“The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't have any” - Alice Walker

Finding your voice is about more than just speaking up—it’s about recognising your value and building confidence in your opinions. Dr. Natasha Tung, a trauma-informed Clinical Psychologist and Couples Counsellor in Prahran, Melbourne, discusses how assertive communication can boost self-respect and self-awareness while fostering healthier relationships. If you're ready to challenge self-doubt and step into your power, therapy can guide you in developing the skills to express your needs and desires confidently.

There is an increasing dialogue about diagnoses, with more individuals identifying with labels they have learned online.

Naming, language, and frameworks are all important tools for destigmatising and containing various experiences.

Yet, labels can also obstruct our efforts for positive change. They create meaning that can trigger strong emotions, which may hinder the search for a specific and effective solution.

Without nuance, labels and categories can restrict your possibilities, increase helplessness, heighten judgement of others, and harm your relationships.

In this blog post, Dr. Natasha Tung, a Clinical Psychologist and Couples Counsellor in Prahran, Melbourne, discusses the impact of diagnoses and labels on mental health. While helpful for understanding certain issues, these labels can limit personal growth, create stigma, and fuel negative emotions. Learn how to move beyond diagnoses for a more empowering approach to mental well-being.

We tell ourselves stories to justify our actions, soften our mistakes, and protect our self-image. While this is natural, avoiding self-honesty can keep us stuck in patterns of regret, low self-esteem, and unfulfilled goals. True growth comes from confronting ourselves without crushing ourselves. In this article, we explore why we deceive ourselves, how it affects us, and how to cultivate self-awareness with compassion.

As the year ends, reflection often brings gratitude—but also regret. While regret can be painful, it’s also a powerful tool for self-awareness and change. Avoiding it keeps us stuck, while embracing it with curiosity helps clarify our values and guide us toward meaningful growth. In this article, we explore how to navigate regret constructively, break free from unhelpful rumination, and use it as a catalyst for self-improvement—without falling into self-judgment.

To all of you who are hard on yourselves.

You are constantly chiding yourself for decisions you've made, time you've wasted, and for not being good enough. You see all the ways you should have, could have, done better.

This constant questioning of yourself is exhausting

If we constantly depend on outcomes or people's responses to feel good about ourselves, this feeling will likely be unstable and fleeting; hard-earned yet quickly lost.