Self-Compassion & Inner Healing

Coming Home to Yourself — With Kindness, Not Criticismng Your Voice — Without Losing Yourself

When you’ve spent years holding yourself to impossible standards, being gentle can feel foreign — even wrong. You might tell yourself to “just get over it” or push through pain instead of slowing down to care for it.
But healing isn’t about forcing yourself to move on. It’s about learning to meet your own suffering with patience, honesty, and understanding — the same way you would for someone you love.
Therapy can help you soften the self-criticism that keeps you stuck, release the guilt that follows rest or joy, and begin to trust that you are worthy of care exactly as you are.

Does this sound familiar?

You’re kind to everyone else but struggle to extend that same compassion inward.
You replay past mistakes, feeling guilty for things you can’t change.
You constantly push yourself to “do better,” even when you’re exhausted.
You downplay your pain because others “have it worse.”
You find it hard to rest without feeling lazy or unproductive.
Living abroad, you hold yourself to even higher standards — to adapt, achieve, or “make it work.”

If this feels familiar, therapy can help you begin healing from the inside out — so your motivation comes from self-respect, not fear of falling short.

Meet Your Therapist

Hi - I'm Christina Babich, MA.
I’m a Clinical Psychologist who helps people heal from self-criticism, perfectionism, and emotional exhaustion by rebuilding a kinder, more trusting relationship with themselves.

Before becoming a therapist, I spent years adapting to new cultures and environments — always striving to “get it right.” I understand how easy it is to measure your worth by how well you perform, cope, or keep it together.

My approach combines clinical expertise in CBT, ACT, and DBT with a trauma-informed, compassionate lens. Together, we’ll work on helping you quiet the inner critic, process emotional pain, and reconnect with a sense of steadiness and self-acceptance — even when life feels unpredictable.

How Self-Criticism and Perfectionism Affect Us

When you’ve spent years being hard on yourself, self-criticism starts to feel normal — even necessary. You might hold yourself to impossible standards, minimize your pain, or feel guilty for needing rest, care, or comfort.
Over time, that constant pressure can leave you anxious, disconnected, and running on empty — even when things “look fine” on the outside. You might notice:

An inner voice that’s quick to judge and slow to forgive
Feeling guilty for resting, saying no, or slowing down
Downplaying your own pain because others “have it worse”
Constantly trying to prove your worth through doing or helping
Feeling uncomfortable with praise or softness
Struggling to be kind to yourself after mistakes

Self-compassion isn’t about letting yourself off the hook — it’s about meeting your experience with honesty and care. It’s learning to support yourself the way you show up for everyone else.

How I Help

Therapy for self-compassion and inner healing isn’t about positive thinking or pretending everything is okay. It’s about slowing down enough to notice your emotional pain — and responding to it with understanding instead of criticism.
Together, we’ll work on helping you reconnect with your inner voice, process the emotions you’ve been carrying, and rebuild trust with yourself.
‍Here’s how we might work together:

CBT & Self-Talk Restructuring – Learn to recognize and challenge critical thoughts that fuel guilt, shame, and self-doubt.
Compassion-Focused & ACT Tools – Build a relationship with yourself rooted in acceptance, self-support, and aligned action — not fear or perfectionism.
Mindfulness & Nervous System Regulation – Practice grounding techniques to soften your stress response and create more internal safety.
Inner-Child & Emotional Processing Work – Begin healing the parts of you that learned to equate worth with achievement, calm with control, or love with effort.

Healing starts when you begin to treat yourself as someone worth caring for — not fixing.

How It Works

Free Consultation
A brief 15-minute call to explore what’s been hardest — self-criticism, guilt, or emotional exhaustion — and see if we’re the right fit.

Intake & Mapping
In our first session, we’ll explore how self-judgment and perfectionism have shaped your emotional world. We’ll clarify what inner safety and self-trust could look like for you.

Weekly Therapy
We’ll meet weekly (or as agreed) to practice compassion-based and mindfulness tools, explore emotional wounds, and build gentler, more supportive internal dialogue.

Integration & Maintenance
As you begin to feel more grounded and self-accepting, sessions may space out. We’ll focus on helping you maintain inner stability, self-trust, and compassion — even through life’s challenges.

What You Can Expect

Clients often say they:

Feel lighter and less self-critical after difficult moments
Begin responding to themselves with patience instead of pressure
Notice guilt, shame, and comparison start to lose power
Feel more emotionally balanced and connected to their values
Begin to believe they’re worthy of care, rest, and love — not only achievement

Frequently Asked Questions About Self-Compassion & Inner-Healing

Isn’t self-compassion just being “soft” on myself?

Not at all. Self-compassion isn’t about lowering standards — it’s about changing how you relate to yourself while you grow. Most people find they accomplish more, not less, once they stop motivating themselves with shame. It’s learning to stay kind even when you fall short, so growth feels steady, not punishing.

What if self-compassion feels fake or uncomfortable?

That’s actually very normal. If you’ve spent years being self-critical, gentleness can feel unnatural — even threatening. In therapy, we work on helping that kindness feel earned, not indulgent. It’s not about positive thinking; it’s about building trust with yourself again.

Can therapy help me forgive myself or quiet guilt?

Yes. Forgiveness isn’t about excusing what happened — it’s about releasing the constant replay of guilt and regret. Many clients realize their harsh inner voice once kept them safe or successful, but it’s now holding them back. We’ll explore how to hold accountability and self-understanding at the same time — without collapsing into shame.

How does self-compassion actually help healing?

Healing isn’t about perfection — it’s about relationship. When you start meeting your pain with curiosity instead of judgment, you create space for real change. That’s the foundation of inner-healing: not “fixing” yourself, but befriending yourself again.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get started?

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Complete the contact form HERE.
‍Let me know what you are struggling with and what you are hoping to get out of therapy. If you’re unsure how to define what you’re experiencing, that’s completely fine — you can still reach out. We begin with a free 15-minute consultation to determine whether we are a good fit to work together.

What is your fee?

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My fee is 90 euros for one 50-minute session.

Do you offer sliding scale sessions?

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I offer a limited number of sliding-scale spaces for clients with financial constraints. These spots fill quickly, so please inquire about current availability when reaching out.

What is your cancellation policy?

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Due to the very limited nature of appointments, you will be charged the full fee for cancellations with less than a 48-hour notice. I reserve your therapy time just for you, and last-minute cancellations do not allow me enough time to schedule someone else in that slot.

Is there anything outside of your scope?

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Because I value honesty and integrity, I believe it’s important to be upfront about both my areas of expertise and the limits of my practice. No therapist can be an expert in everything, and ethically, we should only work within the areas we’re trained and experienced in.

I work with individual adults (18+), focusing on anxiety, trauma, grief, emotional regulation, and life transitions. Many of my clients are navigating the aftermath of traumatic experiences, burnout, relationship challenges, or the emotional toll of expat and nomad life.

There are certain areas, however, that fall outside my scope of practice. If any of the following apply, I will help you find a more suitable level of care or refer you to a trusted specialist:
• Active suicidal or homicidal thoughts, with a current plan or intent
• Ongoing self-harm behaviours (e.g., cutting, burning)
• Significant substance use or addiction requiring medical or inpatient support
• Psychotic symptoms (such as hallucinations or delusions)
• Psychological or diagnostic testing needs. Note: I am partnered with Mind Clinic in Budapest (www.mind.hu). This clinic offers robust psychological and diagnostic testing remotely via video.
• Full DBT programs requiring group skills training or 24/7 phone coaching

While I draw from DBT principles in my work, I do not offer a full DBT program. If that level of support is needed, I’ll refer you to an appropriate community program that provides it.
My goal is always to ensure you receive care that truly fits your needs — whether that’s with me or with another qualified professional.

Do you offer in-person sessions?

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My practice is 100% virtual. I offer online therapy via a secure Zoom link.
This allows me to reach more people who could benefit from working with me. It also allows my clients the flexibility to fit therapy into their busy lives without having to commute to a physical office.

Is your practice LGBTQ+ friendly?

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Yes. My practice is fully LGBTQ+ affirming and inclusive. I welcome clients of all gender identities, sexual orientations and relationship structures, and I am committed to providing a space where you can show-up exactly as you are - without judgement or assumption.

Self-Compassion & Inner Healing

Does this sound familiar?

Meet Your Therapist

Hi - I'm Christina Babich, MA.I’m a Clinical Psychologist who helps people heal from self-criticism, perfectionism, and emotional exhaustion by rebuilding a kinder, more trusting relationship with themselves.

How Self-Criticism and Perfectionism Affect Us

How I Help

How It Works

What You Can Expect

Frequently Asked Questions About Self-Compassion & Inner-Healing

Isn’t self-compassion just being “soft” on myself?

What if self-compassion feels fake or uncomfortable?

Can therapy help me forgive myself or quiet guilt?

How does self-compassion actually help healing?

Frequently Asked Questions

Hi - I'm Christina Babich, MA.
I’m a Clinical Psychologist who helps people heal from self-criticism, perfectionism, and emotional exhaustion by rebuilding a kinder, more trusting relationship with themselves.