Skip to main content
Digital Seminar

Understanding and Treating Codependency

When Clients Over-function for Others
Faculty:
Nancy Johnston, MS, LPC, LSATP
Duration:
3 Hours
Format:
Audio and Video
Copyright:
23 Mar, 2025
Product Code:
NOS096527
Media Type:
Digital Seminar
Choose a price item
View Demo Add to Cart

Description

We frequently see clients who lose themselves in others. Often, their sense of self seems to depend on people, situations, and outcomes they’re unable to realistically control. They’re overly focused on helping, solving, rescuing, saving, and mitigating others’ pain. When this pattern of other-centeredness interferes with a client’s goals, or fuels anxiety and depressive symptoms, what’s a clinician to do? In this workshop, you’ll be introduced to the clinical importance of sensitively helping clients become aware of their tendency toward other-centeredness at the expense of the self. By connecting with the self and responding to it, clients can get better at toggling between self and others to create more balance in their lives and ultimately foster a healthier relationship with themselves. You’ll learn to: 

 

  • Help clients recognise codependent patterns in non-pathologizing ways 
  • Support clients in developing an internal focus 
  • Foster experiences of self in therapy  
  • Empower clients to spot codependent patterns fueling anxiety and depression 

CPD

Additional Info

Access for Self-Study (Non-Interactive)

Access never expires for this product.

For a more detailed outline that includes times or durations of time, if needed, please contact cepesi@pesi.com


Objectives

  1. Explain 3 ways to clinically understand codependency that can be applied to treating codependency.
  2. Integrate 3 assessment tools for codependency into an intake interview.
  3. Describe the clinician’s role in establishing a therapeutic relationship with a person with codependency.
  4. Apply protocols to help clients foster their internal connections.

Outline

Understanding codependency 

  • Core features of codependency 
  •  “Relationship Circles”  
  • Specific behaviours associated with codependency  
  •  “Behaviours Associated with Codependency Continuum 
  • Clinical goals 

Assessing a client for codependency 

  • “Assessing for a Dominant External Focus”  
  • “Assessing for Behaviours Associated with Codependency” 
  • “Assessing for Overfunctioning for Others/Underfunctioning for Self” 
  • Connecting codependent dynamics with client’s presenting issues 

Establishing a therapeutic relationship with a client with codependency 

  • Therapist characteristics 
  • Client empowerment 
  • Countertransference 
  • Clinician Codependency 

Treating Codependency 

  • Educating the client about external vs. internal focus 
  • Helping clients foster their relationship-with-self 
  • Four interlocking elements of self-recovery 
  • Practices to help clients increase their internal connections 

Risks and Limitations 

Target Audience

  • Addiction Counsellors
  • Counsellors
  • Marriage and Family Therapists
  • Nurses
  • Physicians
  • Psychologists
  • Social Workers

Please wait ...

Back to Top