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Showing posts with the label Mental Health Counselor

Can Narcissism Be Successfully Treated in Counseling?

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  By: Brian Murray, LMHC    Is it possible to treat narcissism? It really depends on the counselor you ask. Some say yes while many are likely to say no. There are a lot of counselors out there who feel this condition is next to impossible to treat. Treating narcissism is a very difficult and time-consuming effort on behalf of the therapist, even for the most qualified. Treatment can be equally frustrating for the client. Most narcissistic clients end up feeling defeated through lack of change and quit prematurely usually within the first 1-6 months. This is partly due to high expectation due to the general condition of narcissism and perhaps a therapist who is not used to treating narcissism. Treating narcissism requires a therapist who is experienced and has equipped themselves to take on these personality types. Self-reflection and forming internal resolutions with the client are very common in counseling, however, these same processes have led to the narcissist bu...

How To Confront Fear and Anxiety

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 By: Brian Murray, LMHC, NCC Anxiety is a natural fear response that is designed to protect us from danger. It’s a signal that comes from our subconscious mind that danger is near, and we need to prepare ourselves for fight or flight. Our brains are very powerful and can conceptualize danger even if it’s not present. This creates a problem as we can feel anxious about something that truly does not exist. This hovering anxiety is a type of generalized anxiety as it has no identifiable root cause. Anxiety is very common in the United States and is one of the leading causes of mental health treatment concerns. Over the past year, U.S. prescriptions for anti-anxiety medications such as Xanax and Klonopin increased from 8.8 million in March 2019 to 9.7 million in March 2020 according to health-research firm IQVIA. Medication is a common first line defense for anxiety, however long term it has been shown not to be effective for treating anxiety. History of anxiety medication treatm...