Interactive art installation encourages women to burst their self-doubt

Once the canvas is covered in paint, a message will be revealed, ‘Burst your self-doubt’, to create a prominent art piece which captures women’s issues related to self-doubt.

The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy’s (BACP) latest campaign aims to highlight the many self-doubt and self-esteem related issues faced by women and encourage those who share similar feelings to seek the qualified therapeutic support they need.

Self-doubt can have a huge impact on one’s self-esteem, and a new study from BACP finds close to half (49%) of women agree they struggle with, or are affected by, self-esteem issues. Over half (54%) of the women surveyed agree their self-esteem impacts their day-to-day choices, such as what events to go to and whether to speak up at work. And nearly half (48%) say their self-esteem has been a barrier to seeking new opportunities.

Body image is the leading source of self-esteem issues for women (61%), followed by social comparisons (31%), career and professional life (29%), and romantic relationships (25%). The final interactive art piece will be a visual representation of these concerns, as the paint filled balloons are colour coded by each related issue.

Self-esteem issues can be engrained at a young age and BACP’s research finds they are most often experienced by women for the first time at around 10 years old (10%). According to BACP’s Public Perception Survey 2024, over a third (35%) of women who had therapy for the first time in the past 24 months cited ‘confidence, self-esteem and support’ as a reason. Nearly all (93%) of this group said they would recommend counselling to others.

BACP wants to highlight the importance of recognising and responding effectively to negative feelings of one’s confidence or abilities, so women don’t accept or normalise these feelings and see them as fixed or unable to change.

BACP Director of Professional Standards Policy and Research, Dr Lisa Morrison Coulthard said: “Women experience self-doubt in many areas of life such body image, age, weight, workplace ability, feeling inadequate, personal relationships, motherhood and imposter syndrome. For any women experiencing issues related to self-doubt, I recommend seeking out a BACP-registered counsellor or psychotherapist who can help explore them with you in a safe and non-judgemental space.

“In whatever circumstances women are held back by their own self-doubt, the right therapist can help to shift negative feelings into more positive ones shaped around peoples’ strengths and attributes. Nearly a quarter of women (22%) included in our survey agreed that therapy helped boost their self-esteem.”

BACP Accredited Psychotherapist and Coach, Nicola Vanlint stated: "Women often adopt a variety of views and beliefs about themselves, many of which are shaped by external influences such as family, peers, or societal context. Some of these beliefs can be negative and inaccurate.

"Seeking support from a qualified counsellor or psychotherapist can help women uncover the roots of their limiting self-beliefs, challenge their validity, and shift their focus to positive qualities, achievements, and beliefs.

"By overcoming self-doubt, women may find their energies liberated, enabling them to pursue opportunities that previously seemed out of reach."

For more information visit www.bacp.co.uk/selfdoubt