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Covert Emotional Incest: 5 Clinical Markers and What Therapists Need to Know for Ethical, Effective Treatment

CE Hours 1

About this course

What happens when a child becomes a parent's emotional partner — and no one calls it what it is? This one-hour CE presentation unpacks the subtle, often-misread signs of covert emotional incest, equipping therapists with a compassionate and clinically grounded framework for assessment and ethical, effective treatment. We'll also take an honest look at what this work asks of us — exploring the countertransference it consistently stirs and why our own self-awareness may be the most powerful tool we bring into the room. Grounded in attachment theory and relational trauma, this training honors both the complexity of our clients' experiences and the humanity we carry as healers.

Learning Objectives

  • Identify at least five clinical markers of covert emotional incest and distinguish them from other relational trauma presentations commonly seen in therapeutic practice.
  • Apply ethical and trauma-informed treatment strategies when working with clients who have experienced covert emotional incest, with attention to pacing, attachment repair, and the therapeutic relationship.
  • Recognize countertransference responses that commonly arise when treating covert emotional incest and utilize self-reflective practice to maintain ethical boundaries and clinician wellbeing.

Target Audience

This educational activity is intended for behavioral health professionals, including Psychologists, Social Workers, Counselors, and MFT's.

Course Instructor(s)

  • Adena Bank Lees, LCSW, LIAC, BCETS, CP

    Adena is an internationally recognized speaker, author, trainer, and consultant, providing a fresh and important look at addiction treatment, traumatic stress, and recovery. Her specialty is childhood sexual abuse, in particular, covert emotional incest. A leader in the field of traumatic stress and addiction, Adena has been offering expert clinical psychotherapy to clients as well as training and consulting services to professionals around the globe for over 25 years. Adena’s driving passion is to equip professionals to be effective practitioners, as evidenced by the 1000+ workshops she has conducted on topics such as child sexual abuse, post-traumatic stress disorder, eating disorders, substance abuse and addiction, and related mental health issues.

    Adena is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, an internationally Certified Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor, and a Board Certified Expert® in Traumatic Stress, and a Certified Psychodrama Practitioner. Adena received her BA in Psychology from SUNY Binghamton and her MSW with honors from Adelphi University. In her clinical practice, Adena incorporates a variety of disciplines and approaches obtained through advanced training including Psychodrama, Imago Relationship Therapy, and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing.

References

  • Çimşir, E., & Akdoğan, R. (2021). Childhood Emotional Incest Scale (CEIS): Development, validation, cross-validation, and reliability. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 68(1), 98–111. https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000439
  • Rana R. & Das A. (2021). Parentification: A Review Paper. International Journal of Indian Psychology, 9(1), 44-50. DIP:18.01.006/20210901, DOI:10.25215/0901.006
  • Schorr, S., & Goldner, L. (2023). “Like stepping on glass”: A theoretical model to understand the emotional experience of childhood parentification. Family Relations, 72(5), 3029–3048. https://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12833
  • Boumans, N. P. G., & Dorant, E. (2018). A cross‐sectional study on experiences of young adult carers compared to young adult noncarers: Parentification, coping and resilience. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences, 32(4), 1409–1417. https://doi.org/10.1111/scs.12586
  • Hann-Morrison, D. (2012). Maternal enmeshment: The chosen child. Sage Open, 2(4), 2158244012470115. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244012470115

CE Process Info

Content

  • Session Recording
    1 parts
    • Session Recording

  • Joint Accreditation (JA)

    In support of improving patient care, CE Learning Systems is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

  • American Psychological Association (APA)

    Continuing Education (CE) credits for psychologists are provided through the co-sponsorship of the American Psychological Association (APA) Office of Continuing Education in Psychology (CEP). The APA CEP office maintains responsibility for the content of the programs.

  • Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB)

    As a Jointly Accredited Organization, CE Learning Systems is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. Social workers completing this course receive up to 1 clinical continuing education credits.

  • New York Education Department's State Board for Social Work (NYEDSW)

    CE Learning Systems, LLC  (d/b/a impactce.com) is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers. #0060.

  • New York Education Department for Licensed Mental Health Counselors (NYSEDLMHC)

    CE Learning Systems, LLC  (d/b/a impactce.com) is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #MHC-0072.

  • New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology (NYEDPSY)

    CE Learning Systems, LLC  (d/b/a impactce.com) is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists. #PSY-0016.

  • New York Education Department's State Board for Marriage and Family Therapy (NYEDMFT)

    CE Learning Systems, LLC  (d/b/a impactce.com) is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Marriage and Family Therapy as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed marriage and family therapists. #MFT-0045.

FAQs

  • Course Completion
    To complete the course, review the course objectives, then watch the video power point presentations following along with the corresponding pdf, and lastly complete an evaluation. Your certificate will be available to download immediately when you complete the evaluation. Note that you can not continue in the course until you complete the previous section.
Covert Emotional Incest: 5 Clinical Markers and What Therapists Need to Know for Ethical, Effective Treatment
You Have Completed This course
Free
You are enrolled
  • CE Hours
    1
  • Type
    Self-Paced
  • Publication Date
    Sep 4th, 2026

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