Outline
The course explores the complexities of adolescent depression, particularly in relation to narcissistic traits. It emphasizes the psychodynamic perspective, focusing on concepts like self-esteem fluctuations, emotional dysregulation, and self-criticism. Using a clinical case example, it demonstrates how narcissistic defenses may contribute to depression in teens, outlining therapeutic strategies for guiding patients from dysregulation to reflective thinking. The approach also incorporates addressing early developmental traumas and aggressive superego dynamics to foster emotional regulation and emotional healing.
Learning Objectives
- Identify key psychodynamic factors contributing to adolescent depression, including self-esteem regulation, emotional dysregulation, and superego aggression.
- Describe how narcissistic defenses manifest in adolescents and contribute to depressive symptoms.
- Apply intervention techniques to help adolescents move from dysregulated emotional states to regulated ones, emphasizing emphasizing containment, detoxification and finally verbal thinking.
- Recognize the impact of early trauma and misattunement on adolescent depression and explore therapeutic strategies to facilitate emotional processing and emotional healing.
Course Format
This 1-hour, self-study, audio-only course is presented by Dr. Anthony Mazzella, Ph.D., LCSW. To earn credit, participants must listen to the entire audio session, complete a survey evaluation, and achieve a passing score on the final quiz. Successful completion awards a 1-hour CE certificate recognized by the New York State Education Department. Dr. Mazzella is an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers, as designated by the State Board of Social Work.