Empirically-proven Strategies for Helping Patients with Borderline Personality Disorder

Although the most prominent, well-known, and well-researched of the personality disorders, individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder remain one of the most difficult types of clients for most mental health and social service professionals. Often experienced as exasperating, upsetting, and even impossible, patients with BPD often confuse, frighten, and frustrate clinicians.

It does not need to be this way. Although largely unfamiliar to all but a few specialists in the area, there are new, innovative, and cutting-edge methods that have empirically-proven effectiveness in managing and treating the behavior of this often bewildering client population. By drawing on the most current experience, research, and literature, this seminar offers mental health and social service professionals concise and practical information on treating and managing individuals with this difficult condition.

Presented by Gregory W. Lester, PhD, the widely-acclaimed specialist who has trained more social service personnel on the topic of Personality Disorders than any other professional, this seminar delivers what his trainings are famous for—the most current, clear, practical, realistic, useful, and bottom-line information available on the topic.

Course Content

FUNDAMENTALS

• The diagnosis—beginnings, progress, and revisions
• The disorder—evolution of effective understanding
• The new brain and behavior studies
• Current formulations

THE PRACTICAL FEATURES OF BPD

• Behavioral characteristics
• Typical beginnings, life course, and outcome
• Background and cause

MOOD FEATURES

• Emotional liability
• Emotional over-intensity
• Splitting and dichotomizing

BEHAVIORAL FEATURES

• Anger, rage, and verbally assaultive behaviors
• Effects on other people
• Impulsivity and self-destructive behaviors

SELF-HARM AND SUICIDAL BEHAVIORS

• Self-damaging acts
• Acute and chronic suicidality

PRINCIPLES OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE TREATMENT

• The proven dynamic, analytic approach
• The proven behavioral, cognitive approach
• The proven attachment, mentalization approach

PRINCIPLES OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT

• Relationship management
• Contextual interventions

MEDICATIONS

• Types, uses, and effects

CRISES

• Crisis intervention
• Hospitalization
• Telephone contacts

PRACTITIONER ISSUES

• Emotional stress
• Negative reactions and counter-transference

RISK MANAGEMENT

• Empirical realities of the risks involved
• Risk of suicide
• Risk of homicide
• Risk of legal actions

CASE STUDIES