Treating the Survivor of Narcissistic and Psychopathic Abuse:
A Clinical Focus on Evidence-Based and Trauma-Informed Treatment Protocols
*Includes 16.5 Hours of Training (Two 1/2 Days Or Work at Your Own Pace)
AND
a 300+ Page Treatment Manual
16.5 CEs Available for Purchase
Therapist Two-Day Training Workshop
Available as a Digital Workshop
On This Page
Instructors
Sandra L. Brown, M.A., is the founder of this Association as well as The Institute for Relational Harm Reduction & Public Pathology Education. A former psychotherapist in the field of psychopathology and survivor trauma, Sandra is an accomplished and respected community educator on the intersections of mental illness, personality disorders, violence, and recidivism. She is a clinical lecturer and trainer, TV and radio guest, and an author. Her books include the highly popular How to Spot a Dangerous Man Before You Get Involved, the award-winning Women Who Love Psychopaths: Inside the Relationships of Inevitable Harm With Psychopaths, Sociopaths & Narcissists, as well as the clinically relevant Counseling Victims of Violence: A Handbook for Helping Professionals.
More about Sandra’s professional accomplishments is available at her website.
Claudia Paradise, LCSW-R, has been in practice since 1995. She serves on the executive committee of the Institute for Contemporary Psychotherapy’s Center for the Study of Anorexia and Bulimia. Claudia is personally and professionally passionate about the education, treatment, and prevention of self harm and narcissistic abuse through her writing and public speaking. Additionally, she provides supervision and teaches at an institute level. She is an eclectic practitioner who employs analytic theory, DBT, CBT, somatic, and EMDR therapies to treat adults, couples, and children in her New York office. She is committed to the understanding of narcissism and sociopathy and their wide-reaching effects on the individual, the family, and the environment.
More information about Ms. Paradise’s experience and affiliations is available on LoveFraud.com and on LinkedIn.
Introduction
We are proud to bring to you an evidence-based and trauma-informed care approach for treating the resulting trauma of narcissistic/psychopathic abuse.
This ‘standardized model of care’ is based on 30 years of clinical experience in treatment, trauma/atypical trauma surveys, our ongoing study of a ‘chronic and persistent’ cognitive dissonance, and the research outcomes of The Institute/Purdue study on the survivor’s personality profile.
The field has labored with wrong treatment approaches created from a lack of research into this population’s unique needs. Therapists have struggled to try to apply DV theories and approaches, traditional trauma treatment, and other methods that have been lackluster in their performance. Consequently, ‘ineffective methods’ have been named in a recent research project on narcissistic/psychopathic abuse as well as ‘wildly differing’ and ‘inconsistent’ treatment approaches.
This ‘standardized model of care’ uses data from The Institute’s ‘Finding Competent Care Study’ to adjust treatment methods to known failure causations in treatment, creating a ‘reparative’ approach to missing elements needed for this population.
The treatment approach is unapologetically ‘trauma care,’ in keeping with the outcome studies that indicated:
- 90% of survivors emerge with trauma symptoms
- 75% go on to develop a full-blown trauma disorder
- And 100% have a form of ‘atypical’ trauma created from the development of cognitive dissonance that becomes ‘traumatic to experience.’
The work with survivors of pathological relationships clearly falls within The Traumatic Stress Studies field and the primary treatment approach is trauma treatment. A discussion about other sometimes applicable, (but not primary) approaches like CBT and DBT are addressed.
The necessity to understand the intricacies of this different approach for this population resulted not only in this training (and certification) program, but a 300+ page treatment manual that not only guides a therapist’s treatment as a thorough reference guide, but also contains all the elements, assessments, instructions, handouts, charts, and information needed to immediately begin an effective treatment.
This treatment workshop training and accompanying treatment manual is the first research, evidence-based from longitudinal studies, and a trauma-informed approach to the diagnosis of, and treatment of, survivors of pathological relationships.
Real science for real recovery
A Word About the Treatment Manual
This two 1/2 day intensive training is accompanied by a ‘companion’ 300+ page ‘plug & go’ treatment manual that contains:
- Intake and Assessment Forms
- New clinical discussion materials
- Best Practices
- Common Treatment Errors
- Charts and Graphics
- Survivor Handouts about a wide array of topics
- Survivor Worksheets
- Therapist Checklists
- Infographics
- Psychoeducation Topic Lists
- Methods
Tools
- PLR-Specific Techniques
- How To’s
It is a complete and thorough treatment approach with all needed elements to begin immediate, effective trauma-informed care methods.
** It is part of the workshop and therefore a mandatory part of this course and is included in your workshop price.
It is not sold separately/independently of the training workshop that accompanies it.
Learn —
- How to differentiate the two survivor populations
- Factors in the Stabilization Process
- How to use a ‘Structured Session Approach’ for better regulation
- How to reduce Cognitive Dissonance
- What is Dual Dysregulation in Atypical Trauma?
- How to treat Atypical Trauma
- Differentiating Super Traits from Codependency for Treatment
- Intake and Assessment Package—All you need
Course Outline
Introduction and Goals of Treatment
- How to Use the Companion Manual
- Goals of Treatment
- Finding Competent Care and Its Guidance in Treatment Development
Segment 1: Who Are You Treating? — A Survivor Overview
- Problems in Identification
- Two Populations: The Historical Trauma Group and The Non-Historical Trauma Group©
- Differentiation in Treatment Seeking and Treatment Needs
- Overall Specific Treatment Needs of Survivors
Segment 2:
Intervention/Harm Reduction, Trauma Ed, and Skill Building For Stabilization
- Early Recovery and the Stabilization Process
- Eight Important Aspects in Early Treatment—Best Practices
- Prior Treatment Failure
- Intervention for Harm Reduction and Trauma Worsening
- Three Step Protocol
- Structuring for Multi-Need Clients
- Trauma Education in Stabilization
- Skill Building, Resourcing, and Symptom Management in Stabilization
- Pacing and Titration in Stabilization
Tools and Techniques in Stabilization:
- Trauma Worsening Questionnaire
- Trauma-Informed Care Substitutes List
- Self-Care Charts
- The Structured Session Method
- Trauma Education Topic Lists
- The PLR-Packet for Psycho Ed
- Skill Building Topic Lists
Segment 3:
Pathology Education for Stabilization/Cognitive Dissonance Reduction
- Implementing Path Ed in The Structured Session Method
- Neuroscience and Neurobiology of PDs
- Specialized Techniques for Enhancing Pathology Education
- Pathology Education Topic Lists
- Six Must Teach Concepts
Tools and Techniques:
- The Partner-Related Traits Pathometry Checklist ©
- Utilizing The Brain Venn
- Eight Versions of The Link and Label Technique™
Segment 4: The Hallmark Feature of PLRs: Cognitive Dissonance
- Generalized CD versus Chronic and Persistent CD
- CD Etiology
- CD Levels/Focuses
- The Development of Hyper Neural Activity
- Severity Factors in CD Development
- Four Identifiers of CD
- Complications of Trauma + CD
- The Onset of Dual Dysregulation
- Behaviors Connected to CD
- Coaching Methods That Don’t Work
- Eight Best Practices for CD Reduction
Tools and Techniques:
- CD Etiological Chart©
- Dysregulated Narrative Checklist ©
- Flip the Script Method©
- CD Bridge Diffuser Technique©
- Leading With Conscientiousness Method©
- Mindfulness Scripts
Segment 5: Trauma: Both Typical and ‘Atypical’
- Trauma Assessments: Trauma Interviews and Self-Reports
- Atypical Trauma
- PPEs (Perceived Positive Experiences)
- Differentiation Between Typical Trauma and Atypical Trauma
- Dual Dysregulation and Presentation/Hyper and Hypo Arousal States with CD
- Destabilization and Dysregulation
- Trauma + CD and Their Window of Tolerance
- Triggers in Dual Dysregulation
- Neuro-Based Treatment Issues from Dual Dysregulation
- Combination Problems of Executive Functioning, Dual Dysregulation, and CD
- Memories and CD and Processing Issues
- Working with Whole Memories or Dual Processing
Tools and Techniques:
- C-PTSD Checklist
- The Structured Inventory for Regulation During the Relational Narrative©
- Atypical PTSD Checklist©
Segment 6: Survivor’s Super Traits of Personality—A Different Kind of Risk Management
- How Personality Science Can Help Us Understand These Survivors
- The Ancient Beliefs in DV
- Wrong But Common Therapeutic Assumptions About These Survivors
- Thinking Outside of Codependency
- Understanding High/Low ACE Scores
- Failed Treatment
- Commonalities in Research: Two Trait Elevations
- Risks in the Trait of Agreeableness
- Risks in the Trait of Conscientiousness
- Harm Avoidance as a Dimension of Anxiety and the Boom-A-Rang
- Differing Treatment Needs
- Super Traits versus Codependency
- A Different Kind of ‘Schema’
- Working with Super Traits: Early Work and Later Work
- What Super Traits Sound Like in Thinking
Tools and Techniques:
- Historical Impact Checklist—A Symptoms Model©
- Link and Label Technique for Super Traits©
- Flip the Script Method©
- Safe Exercise of Traits Approach©
- Super Trait Education Topic List
Segment 7: Patient Intake and Assessment
- PLR-Specific
- Prescreening Considerations
- What to Use to Identify a PLR
- Tele-Counseling Considerations
- Other Tools for Prescreening
- Coaching
- Intake Package and Special Screening Features
- The Five Factor Form
- Trauma Assessments
- Atypical PTSD Checklist
- Cognitive Dissonance Checklist
- The ACE
- The Partner-Related Traits Pathometry Checklist©
Addendum
Theoretical Implications of Trauma Bonding and Its Relationship to Cognitive Dissonance
Objectives
- Differentiate two populations of survivors in this genre of counseling
- Investigate both forms of trauma—both typical and atypical
- Employ the use of steps in Stabilization
- Utilize The Structured Session
- Analyze dual dysregulation and the altered window of tolerance in this population
- Identify cognitive dissonance through survivor behavior and hyper-arousal
- Identify neuro impacts in seven brain areas
- Investigate the role of CD and destabilization
- Employ the use of dual processing
- Differentiate between personality proclivities in Super Traits and Codependency
Who Can Take This Course?
We do not train non-clinical professionals whose training is not compatible with the level of needed education and skill for this population.
- Must have a master’s degree or higher in a psychology-related field
- Must be licensed in your state/country
- Must have, or obtain, Trauma Certification (see Evergreencertifications.com or Pesi.com if you need to obtain it).
- Must have taken and passed the test on the first workshop in this series called ‘Narcissistic and Psychopathic Abuse: The Clinicians Guide to the New Field of Traumatic Pathological Love Relationships’ (through either this website or PESI.com, and if from PESI, must have documentation of the course).
Who Should Take This Course?
- Marriage and Family Therapists
- Counselors
- Social Workers
- Psychologists
- Addiction Counselors
- Psychiatric Nurses
- Clinical Coaches (No non-clinical, non-licensed coaches)
Registration
The workshop is $460 plus the price of the manual of $39.99 = Total $499.99.
*The manual is not available for individual purchase. Training to use the manual is required.
CEs are available for purchase.
Please note: Because the majority of the course materials are available immediately as downloads, we are not able to offer course refunds.
There Are Prerequisites For Taking This Course
This is advanced training related to trauma treatment. The Association views the needs of the survivor and its corresponding treatment approaches, as connected to The Traumatic Stress Studies field because:
- 90% of survivors emerge with trauma symptoms
- 75% go on to develop a full-blown trauma disorder
- And 100% have a form of ‘atypical’ trauma as a result of the development of cognitive dissonance which becomes ‘traumatic to experience’ for them
That makes an effective treatment for this population, a trauma treatment approach. The Institute for Relational Harm Reductions trauma studies about this population indicates, that the vast majority of survivors fall on the trauma continuum between:
Moderate PTSD–>C-PTSD–> some with Dissociative symptoms/disorder–> and even Catastrophic trauma.
There are three requirements to take this training:
- Trauma Certification
Trauma Certification is required to take this training.
This workshop does not teach trauma training. It BEGINS at trauma training and teaches beyond trauma basics, focusing on what is unique to their type of trauma that requires an ‘atypical’ trauma treatment approach and unique tools, techniques, and methods.
It begins with already having trauma training and understanding the methods of treating trauma. It immediately builds on the neuroscience and neurobiology of trauma which is why trauma certification is required. If you need trauma certification go to: PESI.com or EvergreenCertifications. com.
- Master’s Degree or Higher in a Psychology-Related Field
Since this is an advanced form of trauma treatment, it is only open to mental health professionals who hold a master’s degree or higher in a psychology-related field, and who hold a license or are license-eligible.
- Completed the First Workshop in This Training Series
The previous workshop: “Narcissistic and Psychopathic Abuse: The Clinician’s Guide to the New Field of Traumatic Pathological Relationships” is a pre-requisite for any further training including the treatment workshop (which is the foundational theory of this field) either through PESI.com or through our Association.