You Are Good Enough: Navigating Perfectionism as University Students
Building self-compassion and connection around imposter syndrome, shame, and cultural experiences
Perfectionism is an experience that many college students relate to. This might fuel our anxiety or depression, or create shame and imposter syndrome, forming fears around how we bring this up with our peers. This group will offer a safe, structured, and supportive environment to unpack feelings of “not being enough.” Together, we will develop perspectives and resources surrounding the pressures we all carry, including the cultural dimensions, narratives, and expectations that have influenced us. Participants will seek to cultivate self-compassion and build meaningful connections with one another over the course of four weeks.
In this group, we will:
- Identify how perfectionism and imposter syndrome show up in our academic, social, professional, and personal lives
- Understand what drives perfectionism, including patterns like social comparison, basing self-worth on achievement, over-functioning, and a harsh inner critic, and how these patterns contribute to emotional challenges
- Explore the deeper fears underneath perfectionism, such as fear of failure, rejection, disappointment, or being exposed as inadequate or an imposter
- Examine our own unique culture and its impact on our experiences as well as other participants’ experiences
- Practice showing up as our authentic selves and being open with others in a safe group setting
- Develop more compassionate and realistic ways of managing external and internal pressures, and relating to ourselves and others
- Build connection and mutual support with peers who have similar experiences
This group will begin in Fall 2026, meeting on October 21, October 28, November 4, and November 11 at 5:00 p.m.
Please contact us to secure a spot!
1854 Sherman Avenue • Evanston, Illinois 60201
Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO and NU-SHIP accepted. Please reach out to inquire about self-pay options and out-of-network insurance.
Yuzhen Lin, LPC, provides individual, family, and group therapy for individuals navigating anxiety, depression, life transitions, and academic, work, and interpersonal challenges. Her thoughtful, culturally responsive, and pragmatic approach provides support for the stressors of balancing multiple identities and expectations. She has a special focus on working with LGBTQ+, BIPOC, immigrant, and international student communities. Yuzhen brings her own experience of living and working in the U.S. and China as a former international student at Northwestern University.
Joyce Zhao, LCSW, works with individuals, couples, families, and groups across diverse age groups and socio-cultural backgrounds from a growth-oriented and strength-based perspective. Her areas of focus include anxiety, depression, grief and loss, trauma, life transitions, relationship issues, intergenerational challenges, and chronic illness coping. Joyce has a special interest in supporting clients to navigate the impacts of multi-cultural influences and transitions in their identity formation, as she brings in her own experience of living, attending school, and working in the U.S., China and Japan.





