Self-Criticism & Perfectionism Therapy · Online, in English

You finally understood the pattern. Why does it feel like another reason to punish yourself?

Professional psychological support in English, from someone who thinks the way you do — for the self-criticism that shows up after a mistake, and even after you get it right. Perfectionism, impostor syndrome, and a harsh inner critic are often the same mechanism wearing three different names: a voice that turns clarity into a whip instead of a tool.

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100% Online

Confidential

Systemic Approach

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First Assessment Session

A first session to understand what that inner voice is doing and shape the process together. You decide with real information, not blindly.

US$25US$49.9950%

60 min · Video call

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When understanding turns against you

Self-criticism doesn't get fixed by trying to be nicer to yourself. It takes catching the whip mid-swing.

You understand a pattern in yourself, and instead of relief, what comes is reproach — «I should have seen this before,» «now I have no excuse.» A new insight leaves you not lighter but more exhausted, like it cost you something instead of giving you something. And the standard you held yourself to before the insight only goes up afterward, as if understanding a thing were the same as being able to fix it instantly. If you recognize this around mistakes, around never feeling good enough no matter what you accomplish, or around the sense that you're about to be exposed as a fraud, it's usually the same mechanism showing up under three names: perfectionism, impostor syndrome, and plain self-criticism.

For a lot of people who left everything to build something new, that voice often speaks in the language of the house they grew up in — the one that measured love in results, that pointed to what a parent or grandparent sacrificed so this chance would exist. It shows up as: I don't get to fall short, not after everything this cost. But a voice you inherited from a place where a mistake was dangerous isn't the same as your own judgment, and it doesn't have to keep running the show.

Ricardo De Castro King — Clinical Psychologist

Who's with you

I'm Ricardo, and you won't be alone in this

I'm a clinical psychologist with more than 15 years working with people carrying too much for too long, trained in systemic family therapy. I'm Colombian, based in Barranquilla, and I see clients online. But before any title, I'm someone who understands what it's like to hold two languages and two worlds at once. Many of the people I work with in English are the ones who became the responsible one — the one who couldn't afford to fall short, because too many people were counting on it working out. You don't have to explain that part to me first.

A voice that punishes you is easier to work through with someone next to you. If this feels like the moment, let's take the first step together — at your pace, no pressure.

Master's in Systemic Family Therapy

Universidad Simón Bolívar

Clinical Psychologist

15+ years of clinical experience

University Professor

16 years teaching and researching psychology

Systemic-Relational Approach

Evidence-based

Licensed Psychologist · Professional License 106127 (COLPSIC, Colombia)

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My approach

This is how I work with self-criticism in therapy

I'm not going to tell you to "be kinder to yourself." That doesn't help when what's happened is that your own clarity became a weapon. What helps is learning to catch the whip in the instant it's about to land.

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Insight is a tool, not a verdict

Understanding a pattern in yourself is meant to help you build something — not hand the part of you that already judges you sharper ammunition. We work on telling the two apart.

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The pause: "not right now"

The method is a stop, said in the exact instant the impulse rises: "right now, I'm not going to do this." It doesn't erase the urge to self-punish, but it interrupts it — and the tiredness that comes with holding that pause is expected, not a sign you're doing it wrong.

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Whose voice is it, really

That inner whip is often not a voice you chose — it's inherited, from a place where a mistake was dangerous. Recognizing it as borrowed is the first step to stop treating it as an authority.

How we start

A clear first step, no pressure

You book your assessment session

Message me on WhatsApp or leave your details in the form. We'll set up a first 60-minute video-call session, at a reduced rate (50% off).

We get to know how this shows up for you

In that first session I listen to how long you've been carrying this, what typically triggers the self-criticism, and what you've already tried to quiet it. No rushed diagnoses — just understanding, together, what you need.

We shape the process together

You decide with real information, not blindly. If it feels right for you, we agree on a process built around you. If not, I'll still point you toward what you need.

Your first step

Start with an assessment session

A first session to meet each other and shape your process. Reduced rate, so you decide with real information, not out of obligation.

US$25US$49.9950%

60 minutes · Video call · 100% confidential

Book My Assessment Session

Want to explore first?

Want to understand your self-criticism better?

If you want to learn more while you decide, you can start here. MomentoVital, my space for open resources, has free material on the inner critic and self-compassion versus self-demand, in English — to support you starting today.

Free resources on the inner critic

This will take you to MomentoVital, my space for open resources.

Before you book

Frequently asked questions

How do I know if this is self-criticism or just being responsible?

Being responsible pushes you forward; self-criticism exhausts you and rarely feels satisfied even after you succeed. If the voice gets louder right after you understand something about yourself, or right after you do something well, that's usually self-criticism rather than accountability. In the assessment session we look together at which one you're dealing with.

Is this the same thing as perfectionism or impostor syndrome?

Often, yes. Perfectionism, impostor syndrome, and a harsh inner critic tend to be the same mechanism showing up around different situations: the fear of a flawed result, the fear of being found out, or the reflex to punish any mistake. We work on the mechanism itself, not just on whichever label fits it that day.

How long does this kind of therapy take?

There's no single formula: it depends on how long this voice has been running the show and how it developed in the first place. We define it together after the first session.

Does online therapy work as well as in-person for this?

Yes. The evidence supports teletherapy for this kind of work, and I use the same systemic-relational approach in both formats.

How much does the first session cost?

US$25 (50% off the regular price of US$49.99), 60 minutes by video call.

Prefer to talk first?

Message me and I'll answer personally

If you're not ready to book and would rather tell me a bit first, message me on WhatsApp or leave your details below. I answer personally within 24 hours, no obligation.

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📍 Online · Barranquilla, Colombia

🕑 Mon-Fri 8am - 7pm · Sat 9am - 1pm (Colombia time)

If you're in emotional crisis or having thoughts of harming yourself, please seek help right away: in Colombia, call Line 106, or in the US call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline), or reach your local mental health line. You are not alone, and help is available right now.