98. Narcissism with Avigail Lev and Robyn Walser

Whether it’s your boss, your client, or a family member, interactions with a narcissist can be challenging. Narcissism can present as obvious grandiosity and self-importance but also shows up in more insidious and subtle ways. Covert forms of narcissism make interpersonal interactions confusing and difficult to understand, and can elicit self-doubt, guilt, and even a sense of “going crazy” in others.

In this episode, Drs. Avigail Lev and Robyn Walser delve into a rich discussion on the different types of narcissism, how to spot a narcissist, and how to protect yourself and/or clients from covert forms of this personality trait.

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Listen and Learn:

• Signs you may be interacting with a highly narcissistic person.
• “Gaslighting” and how to spot it.
• Strategies for dealing effectively with the narcissistic people in your life.
• Whether or not people with Narcissistic Personality Disorder can be treated in psychotherapy.

Resources:

• Recorded Online training: ACT For Victims of Narcissistic Abuse by Drs. Lev and Walser

About Avigail Lev & Robyn Walser:

Avigail Lev, PsyD, is a psychotherapist, author, and executive coach in the Bay Area. She is the director of the Bay Area CBT Center, a clinic in San Francisco and Oakland that provides Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for individuals and couples. She specializes in integrating Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Schema Therapy and has co-authored three books on strengthening relationships including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Interpersonal Problems, The Interpersonal Problems Workbook, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Couples. She has presented her research at national and international conferences and provides consultation, trainings, and workshops on utilizing evidence-based treatments.

Robyn D. Walser, Ph.D. is staff at the National Center for PTSD, co-director of the Bay Area Trauma Recovery Center and is an Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of California, Berkeley. As a licensed clinical psychologist, she maintains an international training, consulting and therapy practice. Dr. Walser is an expert in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and has co-authored 5 books on ACT including Learning ACT, 2nd Edition, The Mindful Couple, ACT for Clergy and Pastoral Counselors: Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to Bridge Psychological and Spiritual Care, and The Heart of ACT: Developing a Flexible, Process-Based, and Client-Centered Practice Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. She has expertise in traumatic stress and has authored a number of articles, chapters and books on this topic. Dr. Walser has presented her research findings and papers at international and national conferences, universities and hospital settings; and she has been invited to international conferences to speak about ACT and mindfulness. She is invested in developing innovative ways to translate science-into-practice and continues to do research and education on the dissemination of ACT and other therapies. She has had a number of leadership roles in international and national organizations and she served as Member At Large and President for the Association for Contextual and Behavioral Science.

Links to books about narcissism: