Developing Public Spotlight Resilience: Therapist for Fame Anxiety

Using the latest evidence based therapies to navigate fame anxiety, public attention, and/or online judgment while maintaining your authentic self and mental wellbeing.

Scrolling through comments despite knowing it will hurt, unable to look away from what people are saying about you?

Obsessing over a single negative comment among hundreds of positive ones?

Questioning if the success is worth the constant scrutiny and loss of privacy?

Missing the days when you could make a mistake without it becoming headline news or a trending topic?

Putting on a brave face publicly while privately struggling with anxiety attacks before events or appearances?

Do you find yourself…

If these experiences resonate with you, you're not alone. The spotlight brings unique challenges that few understand. Human brains were not designed to experience mass social judgment and it is normal to struggle. The good news is that you can develop skills to protect your wellbeing while still engaging with your audience and pursuing your passion.

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Something I hear often hear working with public figures:

“I should be grateful for everything I have, this is part of the job”

My response:

“Your brain wasn't designed to process judgment from thousands of strangers – this level of scrutiny exceeds what humans evolved to handle. Success doesn't immunise you from hurt, and acknowledging that hurt doesn't make you ungrateful. Creating boundaries that protect your wellbeing isn't selfish – it's essential for a sustainable career and a fulfilling life.”

How does CBT help for fame anxiety?

public figure fame anxiety therapy

CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) is a powerful, evidence-based approach that helps you identify and transform the thought patterns driving public spotlight anxiety—without letting external judgment dictate your self-worth or career decisions.

For public figures or famous people, this means addressing specific triggers around visibility and criticism, while developing resilience to the unique pressures of having your words and actions constantly scrutinised. CBT delivered online provides confidential, accessible support that works around your unpredictable schedule and travel demands.

Backed by extensive research, CBT equips you with practical tools for managing anxiety before public appearances, setting healthy boundaries with media and audiences, and maintaining your authentic self despite pressure to curate a perfect public image.

How does EMDR help public figures and fame anxiety?

public figure fame anxiety therapy

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) is a powerful, evidence-based therapy that helps your brain reprocess the root experiences behind public figure / fame / spotlight anxiety.

The unique pressures of public recognition create specific challenges. EMDR helps by:

  • Processing fears of judgment and criticism that intensify when in the public eye

  • Addressing performance anxiety that may be triggered by heightened visibility

  • Resolving internal conflicts between authentic self and public persona

  • Neutralising traumatic memories of past public scrutiny or criticism

  • Reducing hyper-vigilance about potential public missteps or perception

  • Strengthening your sense of self separate from public opinion or recognition

EMDR allows you to maintain your public presence while reducing the emotional toll it takes. By reprocessing both specific incidents and core beliefs about being seen, you can engage with visibility in ways that feel more grounded and less threatening.

Backed by over 30 years of research and endorsed by major psychological organisations, EMDR provides an effective pathway to healing relationship difficulties, social fears, and the internal beliefs that keep you feeling unsafe or unworthy in connections with others.

How do we work?

We begin with a thorough assessment to understand your unique patterns and challenges. From there, we'll collaboratively create a personalised treatment plan drawing from evidence-based approaches like EMDR and CBT.

Your therapy journey is flexible and responsive—we'll regularly check in on progress and adjust our approach as needed to best support your path toward healthier relationships and authentic social connection.

public figure fame anxiety therapy

Options for CBT/EMDR for Public Figure Anxiety

  • Single Session (60 min)

    Weekly ongoing CBT/EMDR sessions.

    Cost: £110 .

  • Single Session (90 min)

    One tailored 90-minute EMDR session to target a specific fear, anxiety, feeling, belief or memory. Ideal if you have one thing to focus on, or want to try out EMDR without committing to ongoing therapy.

    3 Sessions (90 min each)

    Three 90-minute EMDR sessions to target a specific fear, anxiety, feeling, belief or memory with thorough depth. Working in an intensive way, we may schedule these across 10 days (or longer as you prefer). Experiencing rapid healing and change at a deeper level, without committing to ongoing sessions.

    6 Sessions (90 min each)

    6 90-minute EMDR sessions, that may also combine elements of CBT, to target a specific fear, anxiety, feeling, belief or memory. Working in an intensive way, we may schedule these across 2 weeks (or longer as you prefer). Longer term sessions, but still short term and intense in nature, for those who want deep, transformational change.

    Payment plans available to spread the cost and make EMDR intensives accessible.

    You can read more on fees and payment plans for EMDR intensives in my FAQs.

Not sure what’s right for you? No problem! In our assessment we will discuss which is the most likely to access the best outcome for you. Packages are designed so that payment plans can be provided for the level of care you need and to make EMDR more accessible, rather than fixed options that you need to choose before we have had an assessment.

Ready?

If you’re ready to pursue your career without the weight of fame anxiety, we will have a free consultation to discuss your ultimate goal, answer questions, and see if you would like to move ahead - absolutely pressure free.

FAQs

  • No, you don't need to be traditionally "famous" to experience fame anxiety. This type of anxiety affects people at many different levels of visibility:

    • Professionals whose work requires public speaking or presentations

    • People with growing social media followings

    • Those who've experienced viral attention, even briefly

    • Individuals in visible community or industry leadership positions

    • People who create content for public consumption

    • Anyone who feels exposed to judgment beyond their immediate circle

    • Those anticipating increased visibility in their career or personal life

    Fame anxiety can actually prevent people from pursuing opportunities that would increase their visibility.

    Many clients seek help precisely because they're avoiding advancement that would put them more in the public eye.

    The psychological impact of being seen, judged, or misinterpreted by others you don't personally know is similar regardless of the scale. If you feel the weight of others' perceptions affecting your wellbeing or decisions, that's valid regardless of your follower count.

  • Single 90 min session:

    Investment: £150

    Payment Options:

    • Full payment of £150

    • Two instalments of £75 (one pre-session and 2 weeks later)

    Three 90 min sessions

    Investment: £450

    Payment Options:

    • Full payment receives 10% discount = £405

    • Payment Plan: Initial payment of £150, two further payments of £150 to be completed over 6 weeks.

    6 90 Min Sessions

    Investment: £900

    Payment Options:

    • Full payment receives 10% discount = £810

    • Payment Plan: Initial payment of £150, five additional payments of £150 every 2 weeks. All payments completed over 12 weeks.

  • A public figure isn't just celebrities or politicians (although they are!).

    You may be a public figure if:

    • You have a large social media following beyond just friends and family

    • Your work requires you to be visible (speaker, performer, educator, etc.)

    • You've received media attention (local or wider)

    • You're known within a specific community or industry

    • You've experienced viral attention, even temporarily

    • You hold a leadership position that puts you in the public eye

    • You create content that's consumed by audiences you don't personally know

    Even "micro-fame" within specific circles can create the same psychological challenges as broader recognition.

    If you feel the weight of others' perceptions or judgments beyond your immediate personal connections, the anxiety is real regardless of your follower count or recognition level.

  • EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is an evidence-based therapy that helps your brain reprocess difficult experiences and update unhelpful beliefs. Unlike traditional talk therapy, EMDR uses bilateral stimulation (typically eye movements, taps, or tones) to help your brain process "stuck" memories and beliefs that contribute to anxiety in the public eye.

  • We'll begin by identifying the specific situations that trigger anxiety and the negative beliefs you hold about yourself in these situations. Then we'll use EMDR to target the memories that created these beliefs, helping your brain update its understanding. As treatment progresses, we'll also install preferred feelings and rehearse future scenarios with your new perspective.

  • EMDR sessions can be 1 hour or 90 minutes to allow sufficient time for the processing to unfold naturally. Shorter sessions can mean interrupting the process just as it's getting to important material, which is less effective, which is why we might do 90 minutes for more ‘stuck’ memories.

  • Many clients report feeling shifts after just 1-3 EMDR and around 5-6 CBT sessions, though the number needed varies based on your history and the complexity of your anxiety. Some notice they're responding differently to social situations almost immediately, while more complex patterns may take longer to shift fully.

  • Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is a structured, practical but empathetic, approach that helps you identify and change unhelpful thought patterns and behaviours that contribute to your emotional difficulties. It focuses on the connection between thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. It is the most evidence based therapy available.

  • This varies depending on your history and the complexity of your social anxiety. For specific, focused relational traumas (e.g. one-off incident of bullying), 1-6 sessions is often sufficient. More complex or longstanding difficulties (e.g. a history of critical parenting) may require additional sessions.

  • EMDR sessions are 90 minutes rather than the standard 50-60 minutes, providing nearly double the therapeutic time. The extended format is crucial for EMDR's effectiveness, allowing complete processing cycles without interruption. Additionally, EMDR requires specialised training, supervision and certification beyond standard therapy qualifications, representing a higher level of expertise and specialised care.

  • Absolutely! CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) and EMDR work excellently together and can create a comprehensive approach to treating fame and the spotlight. While they work through different mechanisms, they complement each other well. CBT helps you recognise and challenge unhelpful thought patterns and develop practical strategies, while EMDR addresses the underlying emotional experiences and beliefs that fuel your anxiety at their source. Many clients find this combination particularly powerful.

  • Yes. In this case sessions would be weekly sessions of 60 minutes (£110). This allows us to work on an ongoing basis.

  • Yes, online therapy can be accessed anywhere. I am flexible to meet your needs.

  • I understand that privacy concerns are paramount when you're in the public eye.

    For all my clients, your confidentiality is my absolute priority:

    • All client information is strictly confidential and protected

    • Our work together is never discussed with others other than anonymised with my supervisor

    • Session notes are securely stored with enhanced privacy measures

    • I'm happy to sign NDAs tailored to your specific requirements

    • Alternative scheduling options can be arranged to ensure privacy

    • If preferred, we can use communication channels of your choosing

    • Remote therapy options are available for maximum discretion

    I recognise that trust is essential, especially for those with public visibility. Before beginning therapy, we can discuss any specific confidentiality concerns you have and establish protocols that give you complete peace of mind about our professional relationship.