Beth Adamo, LCSW MPA

Beth Adamo, LCSW MPA Founder of Project61. Trauma therapist. Author. Follower of Jesus 🩵 Restoring hearts marked by abuse, rejection, and codependency. Your story matters.

Hi, I’m a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Certified Relationship Trainer, and trauma-informed Christian therapist passionate about helping people heal, grow, and reconnect with their God-given identity. Let’s face it—life can be messy and overwhelming. Whether you're feeling stuck, rejected, or burdened by thoughts and emotions you can’t quite make sense of, you’re not alone—and you’re not

a failure. Your healing matters. With dual master’s degrees in Social Work and Public Administration, I specialize in guiding individuals through anxiety, fear, relational pain, codependency, and unresolved trauma. I help clients gain clarity, break unhealthy cycles, and face the unknown with courage. My greatest strengths lie in building real, compassionate connection and providing a safe, nonjudgmental space where you can be fully seen and known. My clinical work and writing go hand in hand—I’m currently writing my first book, rooted in my own story of redemption, faith, trauma recovery, and freedom from codependency. As a Christian therapist, I believe healing is both clinical and spiritual—and I’m here to walk with you through both.

Sometimes growth and freedom leave evidence in unlikely places.Sometimes it looks like dirty dishes in the sink.Especial...
07/29/2026

Sometimes growth and freedom leave evidence in unlikely places.

Sometimes it looks like dirty dishes in the sink.

Especially when you’re healing from perfectionism—the exhausting cycle of trying to keep everything in order, control every outcome, and avoid rejection or criticism. It’s a way of living in constant anxiety that can be incredibly hard to recognize while you’re in it.

That was me for most of my life.

I felt like everything had to be in perfect order all the time because it was the only way my mind felt like it could have any sense of order too. Looking back, I realize it was a desperate attempt to control the things I couldn’t control outside my home, inside my mind, and deep within my heart.

So now, sometimes, a sink full of dirty dishes is actually evidence of healing.

It’s proof that perfectionism is finally taking a backseat. It’s proof that I’m choosing presence over performance. It’s proof that I’m no longer carrying the weight of believing everything has to be perfect before I can have peace.

Because the dishes can always be washed later.

God gave me this word in the shower 3 days ago. I work with so many people in healing from deep shame. Looking back at o...
06/22/2026

God gave me this word in the shower 3 days ago.

I work with so many people in healing from deep shame. Looking back at our pasts thru healed eyes, new lenses of discernment, is not fair to that dysfunctional version we are reflecting on. It literally creates more shame. So don’t fall for the lies!

“…But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of...
06/07/2026

“…But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”
1 Corinthians 6:11

05/28/2026

“I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy — nothing will harm you.”
Luke 10:19

Funny how I used to surrender so easily to everything trying to destroy me. Now I surrender to the One who saved me. 🙌
05/16/2026

Funny how I used to surrender so easily to everything trying to destroy me. Now I surrender to the One who saved me. 🙌

I know you probably thought approval was safety. You thought if people liked you, affirmed you, understood you, agreed w...
05/07/2026

I know you probably thought approval was safety. You thought if people liked you, affirmed you, understood you, agreed with you, and stayed happy with you, then you could finally breathe. You thought their approval meant you were okay, accepted, wanted, valuable, and secure. So you learned how to perform. You learned how to adjust your personality, soften your truth, over-explain your choices, hide your needs, and become whatever version of yourself felt easiest for other people to approve of.

But freedom starts when approval stops being your god.

Because the moment approval becomes your god, people become your master. Their opinions start leading your decisions. Their reactions start shaping your obedience. Their disappointment starts silencing your voice. Their comfort starts becoming more important than your calling. And slowly, without even realizing it, you stop asking, “Lord, what are You saying?” and start asking, “What will they think?”

Scripture says, “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” — Galatians 1:10. Whew. Paul did not come to play Bible patty-cake with that one.

The truth is, people pleasing will always ask you to trade freedom for acceptance. It will promise you peace if you just stay agreeable, stay quiet, stay useful, stay small, stay easy, stay needed. But that kind of peace is not freedom. It is captivity with a smile on it.

Jesus did not die so you could live chained to everyone’s approval. He did not set you free so you could keep asking people for permission to be who He already called you to be. He did not give you truth so you could bury it under the fear of being misunderstood.

And yes, choosing freedom may disappoint people. It may confuse people who benefited from the version of you that had no boundaries. It may frustrate people who were comfortable with your silence. It may expose relationships that only worked when you were performing.

But their discomfort is not your prison sentence.

You are allowed to be free. You are allowed to be honest. You are allowed to be faithful without being liked by everyone. You are allowed to obey God without needing a standing ovation from people.

The goal was never approval. It was freedom.

So as this series closes, ask yourself: where have I made approval an idol? Where have I been more loyal to being liked than being led? Where is God inviting me to stop performing and start walking in the freedom Jesus already paid for?

Freedom starts when approval stops being your god.

Follow me for more Kingdom clinical content daily.

I know you probably thought people pleasing was about them. You thought it meant you were being loving, thoughtful, cons...
05/07/2026

I know you probably thought people pleasing was about them. You thought it meant you were being loving, thoughtful, considerate, helpful, and easy to be around. You thought it meant you cared deeply about other people’s feelings. You thought it meant you were just trying not to hurt anyone. But people pleasing is a lie, because at the root, it is often not really about them. It is about keeping yourself safe.

It is about making sure they do not get upset with you. It is about avoiding rejection. It is about controlling the emotional temperature in the room so you do not have to feel the panic of someone being disappointed, frustrated, distant, or displeased. And listen, this is not shame. This is awareness. People pleasing usually starts as survival. Somewhere along the way, your nervous system learned that being agreeable kept you safe. Being quiet kept you safe. Being needed kept you safe. Being easy kept you safe. Being low-maintenance kept you safe. So now, your body calls it kindness when it is actually fear. It calls it love when it is actually self-protection. It calls it humility when it is actually hiding.

Scripture says, “The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.” — Proverbs 29:25. That verse exposes the whole thing. People pleasing promises safety, but it creates bo***ge. It tells you, “If they like you, you are safe. If they approve of you, you are safe. If they stay happy with you, you are safe.” But God never designed people’s approval to be your hiding place. He is your refuge. Not their mood. Not their response. Not their praise. Not their permission. Not their comfort with your boundaries.

And this is where the healing gets honest: sometimes we are not people pleasing because we love people well. Sometimes we are people pleasing because we are terrified of what happens if we stop performing. But Jesus did not die so you could live trapped in emotional performance. You are allowed to be honest. You are allowed to have needs. You are allowed to say no. You are allowed to disappoint people. You are allowed to stop managing everyone’s reactions like their emotions are your assignment.

Real love is not control. Real love is not self-abandonment. Real love is not you disappearing so everyone else can stay comfortable. So maybe the question today is this: Am I doing this because I am truly called to love them… or because I am trying to protect myself from their reaction? That question may sting, but it can also set you free.

People pleasing is a lie. And freedom starts when you stop calling fear “kindness.”

Follow me for more Kingdom clinical content daily.

I know you probably thought their disappointment meant danger.That tightness in your chest. The urge to fix it immediate...
05/06/2026

I know you probably thought their disappointment meant danger.

That tightness in your chest. The urge to fix it immediately. The panic that rises when someone’s tone changes, their text gets shorter, or they seem unhappy with you.

So you over-explain. You apologize when you did nothing wrong. You soften the boundary. You take back the no. You abandon yourself just to make the discomfort stop.

But their disappointment does not mean you are in danger.

It may feel like danger because your nervous system learned that disappointment was not safe. Maybe it used to come with anger, silence, rejection, guilt, or abandonment. So now your body treats someone being unhappy with you like an emergency.

But disappointment is not always danger.

Sometimes it simply means someone did not get what they wanted. Sometimes it means they are adjusting to your boundary. Sometimes it means the version of you that had no limits was easier for them.

Scripture says, “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” — Psalm 118:6

Jesus is your safety.

Not their approval. Not their mood. Not their immediate understanding. Not their reaction to your no.

You can survive someone being disappointed in you.

You do not have to betray your healing to calm their discomfort. You do not have to hand over your peace every time someone dislikes your boundary.

Their disappointment may be uncomfortable.

But it is not your danger.

I know you probably thought being liked meant you were safe. You thought if people approved of you, accepted you, invite...
05/05/2026

I know you probably thought being liked meant you were safe. You thought if people approved of you, accepted you, invited you, praised you, understood you, and stayed happy with you, then maybe you could finally relax.

So you learned how to become easy to love.

You learned how to stay agreeable. You learned how to read the room. You learned how to soften your opinions, hide your needs, laugh when you were uncomfortable, say yes when you were already tired, and shrink your convictions just enough to not make anyone uneasy.

But being liked is not your assignment.

Your assignment is not to be digestible to everyone. Your assignment is not to be endlessly available, endlessly agreeable, or endlessly impressive. Your assignment is not to become a version of yourself that keeps people comfortable while you quietly disappear.

Your assignment is obedience.

And obedience will not always make you popular.

Sometimes obedience will disappoint people. Sometimes it will confuse people. Sometimes it will make people question you. Sometimes it will require you to stand firm when everyone preferred the version of you that had no boundaries, no voice, and no resistance.

Scripture says, “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” — Galatians 1:10

Because the truth is, if your peace depends on being liked, people will become your master. Their approval will direct your decisions. Their disappointment will silence your obedience. Their opinions will start carrying more weight than God’s instructions.

And friend, that is bo***ge.

Jesus was perfect love, and He was still not liked by everyone. He was misunderstood. He was criticized. He was rejected. He was questioned. He was accused. But He never handed His assignment over to public opinion.

So why do we think faithfulness should always come with applause?

You can be kind and still be misunderstood. You can be loving and still be disliked. You can be gentle and still be firm. You can follow Jesus and still have people who do not agree with your obedience.

That does not mean you are failing.

It may mean you are finally free.

So maybe today’s question is not, “Do they like me?”

Maybe the better question is, “Am I being faithful to what God asked me to do?”

Because being liked is not your assignment.

Being faithful is.

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Baltimore, MD

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