Full Course Description

Psychoeducation and Narcissistic Abuse: Different Types – Different Experiences

With different presentations, risk levels, typologies and survivor experiences, a “one-size-fits-all” approach to managing the patterns of narcissistic abuse won’t meet your clients’ needs.

Dr. Ramani Durvasula is one of the most recognizable figures on the aetiology and impact of narcissism on human relationships and mental health. A licensed clinical psychologist, Professor of Psychology at California State University, Los Angeles and Consulting Editor of the scientific journal Behavioural Medicine, her research on personality disorders has been funded by the National Institutes of Health.

In this session, she’ll show you how to understand the heterogeneity of narcissistic presentations, recognize differential impacts on clients, and employ psychoeducational approaches in narcissistic/antagonistic relational stress treatment so you can meet clients where they are.

Program Information

Objectives

Analyze the various presentations of narcissism, the descriptions and the impact on clients.
Investigate the different subgroups of clients who typically present with narcissistic abuse and the differential needs of these groups.
Use psychoeducation tailored to clients on the basis of their (i) presentation, (ii) history and (iii) the nature of the narcissistic presentation(s) they are facing.

Outline

The continuum of narcissistic severity
The subtypes of narcissism
The subtypes of clients and co-occurring clinical issues that present in those with narcissistic abuse
Overview on narcissistic abuse/antagonistic relational stress

Copyright : 27/01/2022

Gaslighting: Recognition and Recovery for Manipulated and Controlled Clients

Gaslighting tactics leave victims questioning their reality and trapped in a web of manipulation and control. Its insidious nature makes it tough to spot. But recovery hinges on recognition. If you miss the signs, you could do all the wrong things for these clients, even mirroring the gaslighting they’ve already experienced.

View Stephanie Sarkis, PhD, therapist and best-selling author of Gaslighting: Recognize Manipulative and Emotionally Abusive People - and Break Free for this must-see session so you can identify the signs and provide the safe, trusting and supportive environment clients need.

Program Information

Objectives

Differentiate between abusive behaviors defined as “gaslighting” and other forms of emotional abuse.
Evaluate types of vulnerabilities that potential abusive relationships exploit.
Use psychoeducation techniques to educate clients to identify potential abusive behavior in relationships.

Outline

Profile of the gaslighter and the vulnerabilities they target
Warning signs all therapists should know
Educating clients to recognize and respond

Copyright : 27/01/2022

After Self-Betrayal: Strategies to Help Clients Find Their Authentic Selves

Complete loss of self and engagement in behaviours that betray themselves, perpetuates the shame that can keep clients stuck in abusive relationships. Watch licensed therapist and narcissistic abuse recovery specialist Amy Kempe, LPC and discover how to help clients differentiate themselves from their past behaviour, assist them in creating their internal compass, and empower them to find their authentic selves.

Program Information

Objectives

Extrapolate how a client’s sense of self is eroded by being in a relationship with a narcissist.
Analyze co-occurring issues related to narcissistic enmeshment that can impact treatment.
Apply values-based psychoeducation techniques to help clients differentiate between narcissistic and non-narcissistic views.

Outline

How a client’s sense of self is lost in a narcissistic relationship
Self-betrayals, co-occurring issues and problematic coping strategies
Strategies to help clients differentiate themselves from their past behavior

Copyright : 27/01/2022

Disarming the Narcissist in Couples Therapy

Is successful couples therapy even possible when one of the partners won’t admit their flaws or reflect on how their behaviour impacts the other person?

In this can’t miss session, best-selling author, therapist and narcissist expert, Wendy Behary guides you through the techniques you can use to disarm these clients in couples work and give their partners the tools they need to set limits and draw the line on unacceptable behaviour.

Program Information

Objectives

Use empathic confrontation to gain leverage and maintain consistent treatment.
Develop skills to set limits with narcissists and hold them accountable in the therapeutic environment.
Use the therapeutic relationship to help generalize adapted behaviours from the treatment room into the narcissist’s life.

Outline

Empathic confrontation for leverage
Limit setting
Accountability and meeting unmet needs

Copyright : 27/01/2022

Grief and Narcissistic Relationships: Clinical Skills to Process Past, Present and Future Losses

From grieving a childhood of neglect, to mourning the loss of the rosy-coloured glasses that kept them in a cycle of abuse as adults, grief echoes through the lives of clients who are in, or have left, narcissistic relationships. And processing that grief is a crucial element in their healing.

In this session watch licensed therapist and best-selling author Amy Marlow-MaCoy, LPC and discover how to help clients identify losses of the past, present, and future, and come to terms with the ambiguity of grieving a person or relationship that may never be resolved.

Program Information

Objectives

Employ a past, present and future perspective to help clients facing ambiguous loss manage the pain of the past, find closure, and envision a future after the “death” of a relationship.
Support clients in exploring all dimensions of grief, including what did and did not happen.
Use trauma informed interventions to help clients manage feelings of shame and guilt after the death of an estranged loved one.

Outline

How grief manifests in the therapeutic relationship
Sticking spots for clients grieving past, present and future losses
How ambivalence, ambiguous loss, and complicated bereavement impact client recovery
Clinical skills to process grief and guilt that occurs when relationships end or change due to estrangement rather than death

Copyright : 27/01/2022

Rebuild Clients’ Healthy Instincts and Restore Their Trust in Themselves after Manipulation

After prolonged exposure to manipulation and narcissistic abuse, clients struggle to develop healthy and accurate instincts, often leading them to repeat harmful relationships and behaviours.

In this session watch licensed therapist and recovery expert Brynn Cicippio, LMFT and discover ways to support clients through increasing vulnerability in a safe and protective manner, identifying and disrupting maladaptive attachment patterns, and increasing resiliency to foster healthy relationships through healthy risk.

Program Information

Objectives

Analyze how abuse impacts clients' instincts and attachment patterns.
Support clients with interventions to challenge maladaptive attachment patterns.
Develop specific clinical skills and interventions to increase secure attachment and develop healthy instincts.

Outline

How narcissistic abuse impacts instinct and attachment
Client presentation of good decision making and healthy instincts and attachment
Clinical skills to challenge clients’ maladaptive attachment patterns and promote secure attachment
Skills to rebuild instincts with the appropriate associated emotion
Case examples of healthy risk that support secure attachment and innate instincts

Copyright : 27/01/2022

Narcissism and Intimacy: Coming Down from Grandiosity and Up from Shame

People think narcissism is a disorder of too much self-love; actually it’s too little. Lacking self-esteem, narcissists filter their sense of wellbeing through admiration, external success, acquisition, and power. In this session you’ll view Terry Real, internationally recognized therapist, best-selling author and one of today’s most innovative voices in treating men and their relationships as he shows you how healing comes from emotional reconnection to themselves and those around them.

Program Information

Objectives

Analyze the treatment implications of the different types of narcissistic clients.
Evaluate the impacts of family of origin on narcissistic clients.
Employ clinical strategies to teach relationality in the context of current relationships.
Utilize techniques in therapy to help couples rebalance power differentials.
Use non-judgement therapeutic strategies to shift the grandiose client’s understanding of relationships from power and control to collaboration and intimacy.

Outline

Identify the difference between shame and grandiosity
The roots of grandiosity: shame and false empowerment
Strategies to bring narcissists down from grandiosity, up from shame and into connection

Copyright : 28/01/2022

Complex Trauma: Create Change with Parts Work, Somatic Psychology and EMDR

When children are raised by narcissistic or emotionally abusive parents they’re often drawn as adults to unhealthy relationships that replicate the abuse. The resulting trauma is complex and requires complex treatment. In this session you’ll go beyond the limitations of standalone therapies with Dr. Arielle Schwartz, psychologist, best-selling author and a leading voice in the healing of complex trauma. Watch her and explore how somatic psychology, parts work therapies and EMDR can be integrated to manage emotional and psychological dysregulation states for safe and effective treatment of relational abuse survivors.

Program Information

Objectives

Apply co-regulation strategies to enhance relational safety in preparation for EMDR Therapy.
Investigate emotional and physiological dysregulation related to complex trauma.
Create a safe environment for clients with a history of complex, relational traumatization.

Outline

The neurobiology of complex trauma and co-regulation skills
How parts, ego states and defences create walls to change
Using somatic psychology, parts work and EMDR with CPTSD clients

Copyright : 28/01/2022

Trauma Bonds to a Violating Partner: How Neurobiology Can Work Against Victims of Narcissistic Abuse

Even when they want to leave, the trauma bond ignites regions of the brain that cause clients to feel out of control and tied to their abusive partner. They stay, physically or emotionally. But this is not a safe partnership. In this session you’ll view Dr. Rhonda Freeman, a clinical neuropsychologist and narcissistic abuse educator, as she shows you how to identify the highly bonded state of mind, improve your case conceptualization clarity, and help clients disengage with abusive partners.

Program Information

Objectives

Investigate how manipulation and abuse impact the feelings and behaviors of clients.
Utilize information about the brain systems associated with relationship connection to improve clarity when conceptualizing a client’s case.
Employ psychoeducation to provide clients with a non-pathologizing explanation of their reactions to an abusive loved one.

Outline

Brain systems commonly impacted by falling in love with an abusive partner
How exposure to manipulation and gaslighting changes the “wiring” of the brain
Neuroplasticity, psychoeducation and treatment focus

Copyright : 28/01/2022

Safely Leaving the Abusive Relationship: Do’s and Don’ts for Therapists

Leaving a toxic relationship isn’t easy. Manipulation, coercion, shame, self-doubt, and a sense of losing oneself can keep clients trapped in the abuse. And when they do make the decision to leave, the fear of dangerous explosive reactions can be very real. You need knowledge and interventions targeted at this population to help clients exit these relationships safely. View Katelyn Baxter-Musser, licensed clinical social worker and expert on intimate partner violence for this session and get the tools and interventions you need to increase your clinical competency in supporting clients exiting abusive relationships.

Program Information

Objectives

Analyze how complex barriers to leaving abusive relationships impact your role as a therapist.
Employ a trauma-informed approach that respects clients’ autonomy.
Utilize strategies to enhance clinical support and safety for clients exiting abusive relationships.

Outline

Barriers to leaving narcissistic abuse relationships
Trauma-informed approaches that respect clients’ autonomy
Strategies to enhance clinical support and safety

Boundary Setting Strategies: How Your Clients Can Reclaim Emotional Autonomy

Attempts to set boundaries with toxic and emotionally manipulative people are often met with demeaning abuse designed to instil guilt, shame, fear, and self-doubt. Their victims are left feeling confused, selfish for having their own needs, and convinced they must make the abuser happy with them at any cost.

In this session, Dr. Lindsay Gibson, clinical psychologist and international best-selling author, will show you experiential emotional techniques your clients can use to set boundaries and free themselves from emotional tyranny.

Program Information

Objectives

Investigate defences and emotionally coercive tactics of the narcissistic personality.
Use psychoeducation and self-concept development to help empower clients to set healthy boundaries in relationships.
Apply emotional and experiential techniques that will help clients protect themselves against emotional coercion.

Outline

Why clients seek the narcissist’s approval
Build boundary setting skills through psychoeducation and self-concept development
Strategies to decrease the impact of emotional coercion tactics

Working with Narcissistic Abuse: Addressing the Impact of High-Conflict Personality Styles

Narcissism is a ubiquitous term these days, but when it shows up in therapy—even indirectly—most clinicians aren’t sure how to approach it. The dearth of training on high-conflict personality styles, coupled with a reticence to “label” people who are close to the client but not in the room, has meant that many clients suffering from “narcissistic abuse” in familial, intimate, or workplace relationships don’t get the help they need. This recording will offer the most up-to-date research on antagonistic personality styles, and provide a practical roadmap for working with clients with patterns of narcissistic abuse. You’ll discover:

How to identify the characteristics of narcissistic abuse that are often misdiagnosed
A holistic treatment approach that can be applied to any clinical practice
An actionable framework for educating clients about narcissism

Program Information

Objectives

Apply a holistic view of the dynamics of narcissism and narcissistic personality disorder, and “narcissism-adjacent” personality styles, using a framework that captures the range of antagonistic personality styles.
Evaluate the phenomenon of narcissistic abuse, the manner in which it is manifested, the impact on individuals, and the overlapping patterns that affect clients.
Formulate an actionable framework for working with clients experiencing narcissistic abuse.

Outline

Apply a holistic view of the dynamics of narcissism and narcissistic personality disorder, and “narcissism-adjacent” personality styles, using a framework that captures the range of antagonistic personality styles.
- We will review the diagnosis of NPD but then broaden that understanding using a combination of the alternative model for personality disorders from the DSM-5, a discussion of personality dynamics that overlap with narcissism, and a review of co-occurring diagnostic patterns.
Describe the phenomenon of narcissistic abuse, the manner in which it is manifested, the impact on individuals, and the overlapping patterns that affect clients.
- Define what is meant by narcissistic abuse and the putative behavioural, cognitive and emotional patterns associated with this pattern.
- Discussion of other patterns from which NA needs to be distinguished
- Risk factors for narcissistic abuse
Provide an actionable framework for working with clients experiencing narcissistic abuse. 
- Review of a systematic plan that is designed to assess for and address narcissistic abuse
- Discussion of how to integrate this psychoeducational and treatment approach into existing theoretical frameworks
- Review adjunctive and consultative considerations when working with clients experiencing NA.

Codependence: Treatment Strategies for Clients Who Lose Themselves in Others

Extending far beyond its roots in addictions work, codependence is a universal issue that shows itself in a variety of diagnoses, from anxiety and depression to trauma-related and eating disorders.

Join Nancy Johnston, MS, LPC, LSATP, MAC, NCC, addictions and codependency expert, for this compelling 3-hour webinar designed to provide guidance, insight, and straightforward strategies for clients who are:

Over-focused on caring for, fixing, controlling, pleasing, and/or conflict-avoiding
Adult children of an addict
Spending session talking about someone else
Having difficulty allowing their children to become independent
“Too resilient”; downplay suffering, forget how hard something was
Struggling to leave an abusive situation or relationship
Afraid to make necessary changes despite being unhappy
Numb or unaware of what they want or feel
And more!

Taught in everyday language and filled with practical tools, this is a recording you don’t want to miss!

Program Information

Objectives

Apply the codependency paradigm as an underlying factor for common presenting problems, symptoms and diagnoses.
Determine the origins of codependent behaviours to support case conceptualization and decrease pathology or stigma.
Utilize clinical strategies to increase client’s self-understanding, self-awareness, and skills to attend to their internal well-being.

Outline

Conceptualizing Codependent Dynamics in a Practical Way

Over-functioning for others while under-functioning for the Self
The physical and emotional costs of a “dominant external focus”
Codependence as a precursor to anxiety, depression, and relationship difficulties
Limitations of the research and potential risks

Assessment: Broadening Your Lens to Include the Codependence Paradigm

How to identify and address codependence without stigmatizing
Self-understanding (the why), self-awareness (the what), and skill sets (the how)
Addressing the grief that underlies acceptance of reality
What’s missing from the Stages of Change

Treatment Tools: Help Clients Detach from Codependence and Anchor Within the Self

Setting goals that make sense
Shifting focus from external to internal
3-part boundary setting skills
Visuals to illustrate the relationship between the self and others
Building “quiet reactivity”
Breaking through the illusion of control
Daily practices for self-awareness and self-care
And more!

Case Studies:

50 y/o mother, overly enmeshed with adult child who repeatedly relapses from alcohol recovery
36 y/o, depressed and insecure, unsure of role at work, feels excluded and inconsequential
17 y/o, discouraged and hesitant to share true thoughts and feelings with partner