Kenneth M. Adams, Ph.D., CSAT-S, is a licensed psychologist since1981, faculty
member with the International Institute of Trauma and Addiction Professionals (IITAP)
and the clinical director and founder of Kenneth M. Adams and Associates in suburban
Detroit and the popular Overcoming Enmeshment workshops. Dr. Adams is a national
lecturer, workshop leader, and consultant in the areas of child abuse, dysfunctional
family systems, and sex addiction. He is the author of numerous peer-reviewed papers,
book chapters, and Silently Seduced, When He’s Married to Mom, and A Light in the
Dark as well as co-editor of Clinical Management of Sex Addiction-Revised. He was the
co-recipient of the 2001 “Readers Choice Award” for his paper on Shame Reduction
and Affect Regulation. In 2011, Dr. Adams received the “Carnes Award” for
“outstanding work in the field of sexual addiction and compulsivity and in 2016 received
the “Lifetime Achievement Award” from IITAP for his work with trauma and addiction.
He is a certified Sex Addiction Therapist (CSAT), a CSAT supervisor, and CSAT training
facilitator as well as an Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
practitioner.
When Family Enmeshment Leads to Ambivalence and Betrayal in Adult Romantic Relationships: Helping Clients Unburden Inappropriate Guilt and Obligation
Family system therapists inform us that there can indeed be too much closeness in a family. Enmeshed family systems demand obligatory loyalty leaving family members wishing to chart their own course feeling guilty and torn between their wishes and their families' implicit and explicit demands of them. Normal developmental separation, differentiation, and emancipation are disrupted. When one of the adult children is enmeshed specifically with a parent additional difficulties arise in the unfolding of relational capacity and sexual development. As a result, they become the surrogate husband or...Read more wife to a lonely parent. Romantic relationships suffer and spouses and partners of enmeshed adults occupy a secondary role to the enmeshed adult's parents creating a cascade of relationship distress and difficulties. Addictions are common as they offer a perceived escape from the excessive burdens associated with enmeshment. Less...
Learning Objectives
- Identify and assess for enmeshment in clients and learn best practices in how to engage the client in breaking through denial and come to acceptance of the problem.
- Describe the role of enmeshment in the development of addictions and needed recovery process.
- Evaluate the impact of parental enmeshment on the spouse or partner and the romantic relationship and best practices to assist in managing the impact.
Target Audience
This educational activity is intended for behavioral health professionals, including Psychologists, Social Workers, Counselors, and MFT's.
Learning Levels
- All Levels
Tuesday, January 20, 2026
Live Interactive Webinar
09:00 AM PST - 10:30 AM PST
EARN 1.5 CE Credit Hours
About the speaker
Kenneth M. Adams, Ph.D., CSAT-S, Licensed Psychologist
Licensed Psychologist
Agenda
Introduction
Lecture
Questions and Answers
CE Information - Earn 1.5 CE Credit Hours
CE Approvals
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FACULTY
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