Borderline Personality Disorder: New Understanding, Better Outcomes

Possibly no other mental disorder has stirred up more emotions and evoked more fascination and trepidation in therapists than the treatment of borderline personality disorder (BPD). BPD treatment can be volatile, unpredictable, intriguing, exhilarating, and stressful. Once considered to be untreatable and hazardous to therapists who attempted treatment, BPD has undergone a significant re-conceptualization in terms of understanding its symptoms and causes, along with gaining better clarity regarding prognosis and treatment. No longer considered an intractable condition, it is amenable to several treatments which have gained empirical support. Research shows that some of the most traditional therapeutic techniques can also be effective with BPD clients.

This 4 CE intermediate-level course is comprised of one text article, three audio recordings with text transcripts, and one video with audio and text transcripts, covering the diverse symptoms and treatments of BPD. The initial part of the course is dedicated to providing an overview of the symptoms, diagnosis, and etiologies of BPD. The middle portion delves into the prognosis and various psychotherapy treatments for BPD. The last section includes an interview with Garry Cooper covering the treatment of BPD, as well as a first-person description of therapy by a journalist with BPD. Additional resources and references are provided.