Introduction
Date Course Created: September 2025
Dealing with issues of narcissism in the intimate relationship poses an additional challenge in the treatment room, where the narcissist’s typical approval seeking, entitled, controlling, “victim/martyr”, and passive-aggressive reactions and behaviors, are often paired with a partner who becomes burdened by the newly awakened or reawakened challenges of self- doubt, self-diminishment, subjugation, and self-sacrifice.
Narcissists are notorious for their denial, defensiveness, devaluation, and defiantly detached reactions when confronted about betraying, controlling, and gaslighting behaviors, along with other hurtful patterns that arise in their intimate relationship. Restoring trust and intimacy can seem like an overwhelming and insurmountable endeavor. The stakes are high. Weighing the consequences of staying with or leaving the narcissist can be complex. The impact on financial security and the well-being of children, as well as the offended partner’s health and wellness are often the collateral damage of long-term coercive control and gaslighting. The looming question: Is it even possible to heal trust after narcissistically driven betrayal, gaslighting, and coercive control?
Schema therapy offers an effective conceptualization and treatment protocol; one that does not insist on exclusive conjoint work. This approach appreciates the fragility (and possible unsafety) of high stakes relationships and the need for a flexible approach, where individual treatment and conjoint treatment are part of a carefully timed and integrated plan. At the center of the work is the need to deconstruct a toxic narrative that has deleterious effects on the relationship, the family, and perhaps continues to perpetuate a perilous legacy for generations.
This is a 3.5-CE noninteractive, self-paced online video course delivered in home study format via an industry-standard online learning platform.
Agenda
00:00 – 00:40 → Introduction, The Role of Biology and Environment in Narcissism, Early Maladaptive Schemas
00:40 – 01:32 → Comorbidities / Misdiagnoses, Control and Gaslighting Dynamics, Coping Mechanisms of Offended Partners
01:32 – 02:08 → Fear of Reoccurrence in Betrayal Trauma, Navigating Control Issues, Navigating Individual and Joint Sessions
02:08 – 02:44 → The Importance of Vulnerability, Isolation and Alienation, Imagining Supportive Parenting
02:44 – 03:03 → Addressing Lies in Therapy, Understanding Intensity in Therapy, The Impact of Early Life Experiences
03:03 – 03:38 → Challenges in Interpersonal Relationships, Healing for Narcissists, Educating the Offended Partner
Objectives
This training will provide participants clinical knowledge and tools to:
After completing this training, participants will be able to identify narcissistic traits and coping modes, including coercive control and gaslighting.- After completing this training, participants will be able to assess for betrayal trauma and potential need for full disclosure by hypersexual partner.
- After completing this training, participants will be able to identify attachment ruptures and activating conditions in the cycles of conflict.
- AAfter completing this training, participants will be able to address dysfunctional mode cycle clashes and conflict activations using emotion-focused strategies, CBT strategies, and the essential therapy relationship, aimed at healing schemas, bypassing self-defeating patterns, and meeting frustrated core unmet needs.
- After completing this training, participants will be able to listen for and discern modes of anger (bullying, resentful adult, defiantly detached or childlike victim) as linked with schemas and early experiences / unmet needs.
- After completing this training, participants will be able to respond to each mode: ventilating, reality testing, setting limits, holding accountable, adapting expressions of anger with healthy adult mode engagement.
- After completing this training, participants will be able to be aware of physical cues that indicate your own personal triggers impeding progress.
- After completing this training, participants will be able to identify and defuse your emotional triggers and shift into a sturdy stance.
- After completing this training, participants will be able to apply therapy relationship strategies, as well as empathic confrontation and limit-setting to help clients reflect on and replace self-defeating reactions with healthy and adaptive responses.
Target Audience:
The target audience for this event includes psychologists, social workers, counselors, MFT’s, psychiatrists and other clinical mental health professionals.
Instructional Level: Intermediate
Instructor(s): Wendy Behary, MSW, LCSW
Material Author(s): Wendy Behary, MSW, LCSW
For additional information about this course, the instructors, or the material authors, please contact Content Assistance at content@onlinececredits.com.
Course Materials & Delivery Method:
- Course Materials – The course is composed of a recorded presentation and written materials (e.g. a slide deck and/or other worksheets, manuals, or handouts as provided by the instructor). The slide deck and any additional worksheets or handouts (as provided by the instructor) are made available inside the Lesson module after a course is purchased.
- Delivery Method – This course is a recorded asynchronous, self-paced webinar training, and there is no access time limit or due date to complete it once enrolled. The enrolled learner will stream the recorded presentation and view the materials from their internet connected device via an industry-standard online learning platform.
CE Approvals:
National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC)
Online CE Credits has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 6795. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Online CE Credits is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.
Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB)
Mind Works Professional Education, Inc. DBA Online CE Credits, #1974, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: July 23, 2025 – July 23, 2028. Social workers completing this course receive 3.5 clinical continuing education credits.
Other Helpful Information:
Refund & Cancellation Policy – You may review this policy at any time by clicking here.- Accessibility Accommodations – If you require a reasonable accommodation for any reason, please email your request to cc@onlinececredits.com.
- Course Completion Requirements – 1.) View the entire Lesson module (accessible from the main course page), to include the embedded and/or linked presentation video(s), slide deck, additional materials, and/or links to any shared video clip(s) that may have been edited from the presentation video(s) to comply with copyright laws. 2.) Click into the Quiz module accessible from either the main course page or the Lesson page and complete the Quiz with an 80% or better pass rate. 3.) Complete the Course Evaluation – you’ll be sent to the Evaluation automatically once you successfully pass the Quiz.
- Posttest Requirements – You must answer 80% or more of the Quiz questions correctly to pass. If you fail to pass the first time, you may attempt the quiz again until you are able to pass with a score of 80% or better. Quizzes are graded instantly and automatically by the learning management system once your attempt is submitted.
- Certificate of Completion – Certificates of Completion are automatically generated – downloadable from your Dashboard and emailed to you – once you view the Lesson Materials and complete the Quiz and the Course Evaluation.
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