The Only Thing “Wrong” With You Is Thinking There’s Something Wrong With You
Reframing Self-Doubt Through Therapy in Rockville, North Bethesda & Washington DC
At The Woolf Center, many of our clients walk into therapy with one burning question:
“What’s wrong with me?”
It’s a painful question, often rooted in a lifetime of trying to measure up, fit in, or get it “right.” Whether you’re a high achiever feeling burned out, someone carrying invisible wounds from trauma, or simply stuck in a cycle of anxiety or depression — this question can follow you like a shadow.
But what if the problem isn’t you at all?
What if the problem is believing that something is wrong with you?
You Are Not a Problem to Fix
This powerful insight comes from our colleague Anna Janiszewski (LMSW), who writes:
“So often, when clients enter therapy they’re seeking to answer (or, better yet, have answered for them) two deeply compelling questions:
What’s wrong with me? And how do I fix it?
The irony is that these questions themselves are what’s ‘wrong.’”
At The Woolf Center — whether you’re working with a therapist in Rockville, North Bethesda, or virtually from anywhere in DC — we echo this approach.
The desire to “fix” yourself often stems from a culture that equates productivity with worth, stoicism with strength, and vulnerability with weakness. But in therapy, we take a different view: your struggles aren’t signs of brokenness. They’re signs of being human.
Therapy Isn’t About Fixing — It’s About Unburdening
When you sit down with one of our therapists, we’re not searching for a diagnosis to define you
- we’re looking for the story behind the symptoms. That story might include:
- Childhood experiences that shaped your beliefs
- Generational or cultural expectations
- Unmet emotional needs
- Protective strategies that once worked but now hold you back
Instead of asking, “How do I fix myself?”
We invite you to ask:
“What have I been carrying that’s too heavy?”
“What can I learn about myself with kindness instead of judgment?”
From Coping to Connecting
Many people in the Rockville area, particularly in high-pressure environments like law, tech, academia, or caregiving, learn to cope by becoming perfectionists or caretakers. These roles offer temporary safety — but often at the cost of connection with yourself and others.
Therapy helps shift the focus from coping to connecting:
- Connecting with your emotions instead of suppressing them
- Connecting with your body instead of ignoring its signals
- Connecting with your true self — not the version you think others want
This Isn’t About Toxic Positivity — It’s About Compassionate Reality
To be clear, we’re not saying your pain isn’t real. The anxiety, trauma, or self-doubt you carry has roots. Therapy gives you space to explore that pain without shame, to understand it without pathologizing, and to transform it without erasing who you are.
As Anna says:
“If you’re seeking therapy because you want to change something, you should know that meaningful change comes not from fixing the ‘wrong’ parts of yourself, but by relating to your wholeness in new ways.”
We couldn’t agree more.
Begin Therapy in Rockville, North Bethesda, or Online Across DC
At The Woolf Center, our therapists walk with you through the hard questions — not to provide quick fixes, but to offer sustainable transformation rooted in curiosity, compassion, and context.
If you’ve ever wondered “what’s wrong with me?”
You’re not alone. But you’re also not broken.
Let’s start with a new question:
“What might become possible if I no longer believed I was the problem?”
Ready to take that step?
We offer individual therapy, trauma therapy, anxiety & depression, and more — in person at our
Rockville and North Bethesda locations, and online for residents across Washington DC.
Originally inspired by a post written by Anna Janiszewski, LMSW of Live the Questions Therapy. Used with permission.