There is widespread information about gaslighting that is either incomplete or outright misinformation.
Gaslighting is a word that has gotten the attention of our society,
because it captures all these moving parts that go together…
It gives one the ability to cut to the chase and put into words
what you’re experiencing.
We need it.
Our clients need it.
As wellness professionals we need to be informed and equipped to provide the best care for our clients surrounding the wide variety of gaslighting experiences they will come to us with.
We need a unified front, a standard of care, and a proven model to follow for the issue of gaslighting.
You want to be a part of that front; part of the team.
You want to be equipped to recognize gaslighting when it's presenting in your office, assess your clients, and refer out to one of the Certified Deconstructing Gaslighting® Specialists when your clients need the Take Your Power Back course or the Repair course.
(If you prefer to NOT refer out but take your clients through the Deconstructing Gaslighting® programs yourself, click here.)
Gaslighting and Best Practices
"Sarah's work on gaslighting has been transformational, to not only me, but to my clients. Her video series is done in a way that makes gaslighting and all of its components easy to understand and easy to articulate to others. It helps to understand the solutions to gaslighting behaviors in order to take back your power.
I am in awe of her dedication to this important concept as it relates to betrayal trauma. Sarah's work is an enormous gift to this community - transformative and compassionate. I would highly recommend it!"
- Sarah B. McGuire LISW-CP Supervisor, CSAT, CCPS, EMDR Certified, CID Instructor
Who the Course is for...
The Deconstructing Gaslighting® Wellness Professional Course is for you if you are a therapist, clinician, or coach that:
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Wants to be able to assess their clients for signs of experiencing gaslighting more quickly and easily
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Wants to be able to assess for gaslighting behaviors being exhibited more quickly and easily - ESPECIALLY so they don't unintentionally collude with the gaslighter and cause further trauma to the victim/gaslightee
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Enjoys collaborating with a team of wellness professionals, and wants to be part of a network where cross referring is a part of the culture
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Prefers to know the ins-and-outs of the material being used by the professionals they refer out to
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Enjoys being challenged to see things in a new way, and being able to not only have that impact their practice, but their own lives
Wants to use the time they have with their clients in their area of expertise and/or focusing on trauma interventions, IFS, brainspotting, etc.
AND
Sees the importance of having a comprehensive understanding of gaslighting as being a part of staying current with the needs their clients are expressing.
“Especially with the emergence of the term gaslighting being used in pop-psychology in recent years and the dangers of its misuse for survivors, Sarah’s professional trainings and resources have been invaluable.”
~ Nicole Brown,M.A., LPC, CCPS
Components of the Course
The goal of the Deconstructing Gaslighting® Wellness Professional's course is to establish consistent, reliable care, and create a community of collaborating wellness professionals that will set THE standard around the issue of gaslighting.
As professionals you will learn the intricacies of the patterns prevalent in both sides of a gaslighting experience you can use to assess your clients, which will enhance your ability to know when to refer your client to one of the Deconstructing Gaslighting® programs, facilitated and supported by one of the Certified Deconstructing Gaslighting® Specialists.
This self-paced course is a thorough review of the complexities and nuances that comprise gaslighting experiences.
Course Syllabus:
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Lesson 1: What is Gaslighting
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Lesson 2: The Signs/Effects & the Progression of Effects Scale
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Lesson 3: Phases of Healing
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Lesson 4: The Methods / Seeing the Big Picture
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Lesson 5: The Techniques
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Lesson 6: The Tactics
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Lesson 7: The Roles
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Lesson 8: Why We (Humans) are Susceptible
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Lesson 9: The Risks & Vulnerabilities
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Lesson 10: The Traps
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Lesson 11: Deconstruction Time
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Lesson 12: Relational Repair
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Lesson 13: Things to Consider
"Sarah's work has been a game-changer and completely transformational. Her giftedness and incredibly straightforward approach are invaluable in helping call out toxic relational patterns and to better understand how to identify and communicate healthy boundaries. Specializing in gaslighting and healing from the effects of narcissism is something very much needed in our world today at an individual, communal and national level for both clients and clinicians alike."
- Bella Rockman, MA, LPC, LCDC-i
"My experience with Sarah and her understanding of, and ability to help others recognize and understanding gaslighting patterns, has been exceptional. I love how Sarah takes a close look at each of the individual pieces of a gaslighting experience, and helps people put it all together to help them understand the patterns and connections in their own unique experience.
I have watched Sarah's material be so impactful for people I work with and I am so excited to be able to utilize this material with my clients! "
- Kimberly Day, LMHC, CCPS
Professional Bio:
Sarah Morales is the owner and creator of Deconstructing Gaslighting® and is widely recognized as an expert and thought leader on the topic of gaslighting She helps raise public awareness around gaslighting through her many public platforms and creates programs that help empower victims of gaslighting.
Sarah currently sits on the board of APSATS (the Association of Partners of Sex Addicts Trauma Specialists), consults & contracts with numerous helping professionals, and is frequently invited as a guest speaker at national conferences and on podcasts.
This is the story of how she arrived here…
"In January 2011, the FBI came to my house, and I had my
“discovery” of my (then) husband's sexually deviant behavior.
Shortly after, I joined a group led by a therapist/coach named
Marsha Means. As I was going through her group, she
recognized some gifts in me, and encouraged me to get my
certification as a life coach. She asked me to join her team of
coaches helping other women heal. So that is exactly what I
did. I got my certification as a life and relationship coach, and
started leading women through groups that were going
through Marsha’s workbook. As my life was in a lot of
transition during that season, I did this for about a year.
In July 2012, I moved myself and my two kids to Austin, TX, and I took a year off of helping others so that I could nurture my own healing and focus on my kids.
By February of 2013, I was ready for more. I met with a local CSAT named Peter Daniels III, of Therapy Works. Peter hired me to create a program for the partners of the sexually addicted men he was providing therapy for. I built a thriving program that included individual coaching, workshops, support groups, and retreats. Several significant things happened during the four years I worked for Peter at Therapy Works:
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It was during this time that Peter sent me to a conference where I learned about APSATS. I jumped at the opportunity to receive cutting edge training and certification that would enable me to better serve my clients. I was one of the earliest Certified Life Coaches to go through the APSATS training, which was in May of 2014. I accumulated my hours of professional work and supervision and became an APSATS Certified Partner Coach (CPC) in February of 2016.
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Peter handed me the book, “The Gaslight Effect” by Dr. Robin Stern to help me prepare for an intensive he wanted me to co-facilitate. Little did he or I know how the course of my life just changed trajectory. I immediately knew this was something VERY important – something life-changing.
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Peter believed in me and saw my potential long before I could see it for myself. His trust and belief in me gave me the courage to build, create, deep-dive, and move into the thought-leader that I am today. He challenged me to become the person he knew I already was.
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During my tenure with Peter, he started an in-patient treatment program for drug and alcohol addiction, focusing on treatment for vets, people coming out of incarceration, and the homeless. It was in this context I first began working with addicts in recovery (as a coach, teaching life-skills).
By April 2017, I had grown to the point where I knew the next step for me was to start a private coaching practice and focus on my specialization in gaslighting.
In 2018, I was approached by Sharon Rinearson of CORE Relationship Recovery. They were building an amazing, international team to conduct specialized intensives, and they wanted me on their team as their “go-to aslighting expert”. I gratefully accepted, came on board as one of their contractors, and am there to this day. Some highlights from my work with CORE are:
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The weekly Tuesday night men’s group I have facilitated for the past five years. I have grown to love these men, and they have taught me what sincere, fully embraced recovery looks like. My work with the addict in recovery has grown exponentially as I have worked with them.
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The three-hour sessions I get to do in their intensives with addicts who are wanting to understand the impact that their gaslighting has had on those they are in relationship with, what “triggers” their gaslighting behaviors, and strategies to stop gaslighting behaviors.
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The three-hour sessions I get to do in their intensives with the partners of addicts who are desperate to learn how to recognize gaslighting when it's happening, where & why they are especially vulnerable to their gaslighter, and strategies on how to stop getting sucked in & stay connected to self-trust.
These are the main things that helped my hone my skills, test my information and tools, and establish a proven way to help people heal.
In 2013, I came across the word gaslighting, and since then I have made it my mission to take this complicated, nuanced topic, deconstruct it, and make it understandable and implementable in people's lives.
My decade plus of studying, continually deconstructing, and coaching both individuals and groups culminated in 2025 with my DECONSTRUCTING GASLIGHTING® ACADEMY offerings: a free webinar, signature program, program for the gaslighter, wellness professional trainings/courses (and more to come) and podcast – all aimed at empowering others to better understand and identify gaslighting in their lives and relationships.
My passion to empower others to transform their lives fuels my work with my clients and pushes me to continue developing new programs on the cutting edge of helping others grow to know, trust, and love themselves more than they knew was possible."
