Brown - Children of the aging self-absorbed: a guide to coping with difficult, narcissistic parents & grandparents

Nina W. Brown, EdD, LPC, received her doctorate from the College of William and Mary, and is a professor and eminent scholar of counseling at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA. She is former president of the Society of Group Psychology and Group Psychotherapy, and a current commissioner for the American Psychological Associations Commission on Accreditation. Brown is the author of twenty-seven books on group therapy and narcissism, including Children of the Self-Absorbed, Loving the Self-Absorbed, and Whose Life is it Anyway?

Children of the Aging Self-Absorbed fills an important niche in the self-help literature: dealing with aging, difficult, narcissistic parents and grandparents. The book is a guide for adult children of such parents, and offers much wisdom. Brown delineates four types of self-absorbed parentsClingy, Suspicious-Defensive, Arrogant, and Belligerentand provides excellent strategies for managing interactions with each type of parent. The book has useful exercises designed to help readers manage their side of these very difficult relationships more effectively. The overriding message is that the adult child mustand canlet go of hoping to change the parent and instead develop self-protective coping behaviors. This book is a good resource for anyone dealing with an aging self-absorbed parent or grandparent, as well as for therapists helping their clients in such situations.

Eleanor F. Counselman, EdD, ABPP, CGP, LFAGPA, president-elect of the American Group Psychotherapy Association, and assistant clinical professor of psychiatry, Harvard Medical School

Nina Brown lights the way, helping you navigate the roller coaster of caring for narcissistic, aging parents and grandparents. This groundbreaking book introduces valuable exercises and practical advice to strengthen your resilience and protect you from taking in the negativity of your self-absorbed parents.

Ann Steiner, PhD, MFT, CGP, FAGPA, faculty of The Psychotherapy Institute, board member of the American Group Psychotherapy Association, and author of How to Create and Sustain Groups that Thrive

This new text by Nina Brown makes clear the impact of self-absorbed parents and offers some useful techniques about what to do about them. Written in an easily accessible and commonsense tone, [Children of the Aging Self-Absorbed has] something to offer for those with relatively little background in psychology and human development theory, as well as those with considerable experience. Brown takes the reader through the basics of coping with a problem that is faced by a good deal of the early, middle, and later adult population. This text is a useful and practical review of the issues involved with parent-child dynamics in the adulthood years and provides some solid structure for describing, categorizing, and responding to these issues in an effective manner.

Joshua M. Gross, PhD, ABPP, CGP, psychologist and director of group programs at The University Counseling Center at Florida State University, where he practices group and family psychology as well as trains and supervises doctoral and post-doctoral trainees

Publishers Note

This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering psychological, financial, legal, or other professional services. If expert assistance or counseling is needed, the services of a competent professional should be sought.

Distributed in Canada by Raincoast Books

Copyright 2015 by Nina W. Brown New Harbinger Publications, Inc. 5674 Shattuck Avenue Oakland, CA 94609 www.newharbinger.com

Cover design by Amy Shoup

Acquired by Melissa Valentine

Edited by Brady Kahn

All Rights Reserved

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data on file

ePub ISBN: 9781626252066

This book is dedicated to my family, who continue to give me encouragement, support, and, most of all, joy.