Avoidant Personality Disorder Therapy
Serving San Jose, Sacramento and all of California
Avoidant Personality
Avoidant Personality Disorder Therapy
To Reduce Fear of Rejection
Avoidant personality therapy can help you engage in life instead of avoiding because you feel like you aren’t good enough and fear rejection. Avoidant personality disorder isn’t just social anxiety. It’s a deeper, ongoing pattern of pulling back from people and opportunities because of fear, self-doubt, and sensitivity to criticism. You may want closeness but feel trapped by the belief that rejection or embarrassment is inevitable. Here are a few ways you may feel:
- Feeling inadequate or not good enough
- Being highly sensitive to criticism, rejection, or disapproval
- Avoid getting involved with people unless you’re certain they’ll like you
- Finding yourself preoccupied with the fear of being criticized or rejected
- Seeing yourself as socially inept, unworthy, or less capable than others
If any of these sound familiar, you may be experiencing Avoidant Personality Disorder—or avoidant traits that make it hard to build the connection and confidence you long for.
Laura Johnson, LMFT, LPCC, is a certified schema therapist with expertise in avoidant personality disorder therapy. I can provide you with avoidant personality disorder therapy if you live anywhere in California including San Jose, San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles, and San Diego.
Could I Have Avoidant Personality Disorder?
Avoidant Personality Disorder isn’t just social anxiety. It’s a deeper, ongoing pattern of pulling back from people and opportunities because of fear, self-doubt, and sensitivity to criticism. You may want closeness but feel trapped by the belief that rejection or embarrassment is inevitable.
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Do you struggle with feelings of inadequacy or not being good enough?
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Are you highly sensitive to criticism, rejection, or even the possibility of disapproval?
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Do you avoid getting involved with people unless you’re certain they’ll like you?
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Do you find yourself preoccupied with the fear of being criticized or rejected?
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Do you sometimes see yourself as socially inept, unworthy, or less capable than others?
If these questions sound familiar, you may be experiencing Avoidant Personality Disorder—or avoidant traits that make it hard to build the connection and confidence you long for.
What is Avoidant Personality Disorder?
Avoidant Personality Disorder can manifest as a pattern of extreme social anxiety, feelings of inadequacy, and extreme sensitivity to criticism. People with Avoidant Personality Disorder may be unwilling to get involved with others unless they’re certain of being liked, become preoccupied with fears of being criticized or rejected, or view themselves as socially inept or not good enough.
Common Symptoms of Avoidant Personality Disorder
If you have Avoidant Personality Disorder or avoidant traits, you may notice some of these experiences:
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Extreme sensitivity to criticism or rejection
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Feeling inadequate, inferior, or unattractive
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Avoidance of work or social activities that require interpersonal contact
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Being socially inhibited, timid, or isolated; avoiding new activities or meeting strangers
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Intense shyness in social situations and personal relationships
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Fear of disapproval, embarrassment, or ridicule
How Schema Therapy Helps with Avoidant Personality Disorder
Schema Therapy is an integrative approach that goes beyond surface coping strategies to address the deeper patterns that keep Avoidant Personality Disorder in place. It helps you identify and change entrenched, self-defeating life patterns—called schemas—that fuel avoidance, shame, and isolation.
Some of the most common schemas for people with Avoidant Personality Disorder include:
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Social Isolation/Alienation – believing you don’t fit in or belong.
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Defectiveness/Shame – feeling unworthy, flawed, or unlovable.
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Emotional Deprivation – believing your needs for love and support will never be met.
Schema Therapy focuses on:
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Understanding the childhood experiences that contributed to your schemas
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Building a safe, supportive therapeutic relationship as a corrective experience
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Using behavioral, emotional, and experiential techniques to practice new patterns
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Applying insights to daily life so you can build healthier relationships and greater confidence
Over time, Schema Therapy helps you break free from avoidance and move toward the closeness, connection, and confidence you’ve been missing.
Why Work with Me?
I specialize in helping people with Avoidant Personality Disorder (AvPD) move beyond the painful patterns of fear, self-doubt, and withdrawal that keep them from fully engaging in life. Many of my clients long for connection and confidence but feel trapped by the belief that they’ll be judged, rejected, or not “good enough.” Schema Therapy—my area of advanced certification—offers a roadmap to change these lifelong patterns at their roots, not just manage them on the surface.
I’m one of the few therapists in California who is both a Certified Cognitive Behavior Therapist and an Advanced Certified Schema Therapist. I completed an intensive two-year postgraduate program at the Schema Therapy Institutes of New Jersey–New York City and am a long-standing member of the International Society of Schema Therapy. Clients from across California seek me out for my expertise in Schema Therapy for Avoidant Personality Disorder and related issues such as social anxiety and chronic self-criticism. Together, we focus on building self-acceptance, emotional safety, and genuine confidence—so you can create the life and relationships you’ve always wanted.
Frequently Asked Questions about Avoidant Personality Disorder
Is Avoidant Personality Disorder the same as social anxiety?
No. While both involve fear of rejection and judgment, Avoidant Personality Disorder is a broader and more enduring pattern tied to core self-beliefs of being inadequate or flawed.
Can people with Avoidant Personality Disorder form relationships?
Yes. Many people with Avoidant Personality Disorder want closeness, but fear holds them back. With the right therapy, safe and supportive relationships are absolutely possible.
How is Avoidant Personality Disorder treated?
Schema Therapy is one of the most effective approaches because it targets the deeper schemas and beliefs that drive avoidance, while also building healthier patterns of relating.
Does Avoidant Personality Disorder last forever?
Not necessarily. With therapy, many people see major improvements in confidence, relationships, and overall functioning.
Is video therapy effective for Avoidant Personality Disorder?
Yes. For some, video sessions even feel safer at first, making it easier to engage in therapy without the stress of in-person interactions.
Take the First Step to Get Help with Avoidant Personality Disorder
Living with Avoidant Personality Disorder can feel lonely and limiting, but you don’t have to stay stuck. With therapy, you can learn to quiet the inner critic, face fears of rejection, and start building the confidence and connections you deserve. I offer secure video therapy throughout California, including San Jose, Sacramento, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Orange County, and San Diego. Reach out today to begin your path toward change.