The Lifeworks Group, Inc.

By: Christine Hammond, LMHC, NCC Marie’s first response to her therapist when asked about her childhood was “It was fine, my dad was perfect”. Now, this statement is gold for a therapist and begs to be mined further. After indulging Marie in the perfect father fantasy for a few minutes, the therapist took things on a different approach and asked about her mother. Marie described her as highly anxious, a bit of an alcoholic, stressed for no apparent reason, and unable to make even small decisions without consulting her father. Further probing into her mother revealed a woman that seemed traumatized all the time. With no discernible traumatic event, Marie realized that her mom was responding to demands from her father. It wasn’t too long after the initial remark of “my dad was perfect” that Marie began sharing troubling stories of her childhood. Her revised description of her father fit the profile of a narcissist. As the therapy progressed, Marie came to terms with h...

For the full guide on How to Talk To Your Kids About Mass Shooting, as seen on Family Radio, please click this link: https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn%3Aaaid%3Ascds%3AUS%3A60d74511-efa8-4567-927f-e30b08b1b332 By: Dwight Bain, LMHC, NCC

By: Christine Hammond LMHC They appear at just the right time: a broken family torn apart by divorce or death in desperate need of emotional security and starved for normal amounts attention. Enter the narcissist, hidden by a veil of perfection, who immediately endears themselves to every family member (pets included) navigating the personality differences with ease. They are charming, caring, generous, kind, and seem to have it all together. They anticipate the needs of others and come willingly to the rescue without complaint. The broken family instantly falls in love and adores the narcissist for the lavish gifts and the net of protection they seem to provide. The narcissist feels the family’s admiration and is drawn in even further. For the narcissist, this family gets just how special they are and fully appreciates them for all they do. Finally, they have found what they were missing in their other relationships. The marriage often happens quickly with everyone ...

By: Christine Hammond, LMHC Narcissism seems to be on the rise. Teachers are frustrated by children who believe they are entitled to an excellent grade for substandard work. Parents are annoyed by teens who believe they are wiser than their elders. Employers are aggravated by employees who believe the rules don’t apply to them. Spouses are shocked when the charming person they married turns into a raging bully. “The children now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise.” This was written approximately 400 B.C. by the Athenian philosopher Socrates. Yet many would believe it intended for this generation. So why does it seem like there are so many narcissists? Here are a couple of possible explanations. 1.        Social Media. The mass influence of social media has introduced a perfect narcissistic breeding ground. A person can be anything and say anything the...

Anyone who is a parent knows it is the hardest job out there.   Being in charge of another human is the most terrifying yet rewarding experience. From the time they are babies, parents are the sole provider for this tiny life that they have created.   Being able to care for and instruct one’s children is a blessing, yet in the same respect can be a trial.   Parents are the ones they look to for guidance, the ones in control and who have things under control.   Parents control what they eat, wear and do from an early age.   That is until they start realizing that they have the ability to say yes or no and start challenging their parents’ instructions and decision-making.   The average child’s frontal lobe does not develop until they are 25 years old, so it makes perfect sense that parents would want to remain in control of the decision-making process. Ultimately they are trying to prevent their kids from making mistakes that may alter their lives in a h...