Schema Therapy for Borderline Personality Disorder

Provides clear guidance on utilizing Schema Therapy to reduce BPD symptoms and bring about lasting changes in the patient's personality.

People with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) struggle with a range of problems that negatively impact virtually every aspect of their lives, such as constantly changing moods, blurred personal identities, impulsive behaviours, interpersonal problems, and episodes of rage. BPD patients are at high risk of self-harm and substance abuse, with approximately 10% of BPD patients dying from suicide. BPD severely affects the education, employment, personal relationships, and physical and emotional wellbeing of those suffering from the disorder. Schema Therapy (ST), based on cognitive behavioural therapy and techniques derived from experiential therapies, has been shown to achieve substantial personality improvements in BPD patients.

Schema Therapy for Borderline Personality Disorder describes the pioneering BPD therapy based on insights from cognitive, behavioural, psychodynamic, humanistic, and developmental theories. Schema Therapy emphasises the emotional processing of traumatic experiences and the use of the therapeutic relationship to bring about positive change. The text describes ST treatment for BPD in detail, covering the aims and phases of the therapy, treatment planning, cognitive and behavioural methods, specific techniques appropriate to each schema mode, behavioural pattern-breaking, termination of therapy, and more. This authoritative volume:

• Describes a treatment for patients with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) that yields substantial clinical improvement or recovery in most cases.
• Explains the schema mode model of BPD that helps both patients and therapists understand the problems experienced by BPD patients, and that is central in ST for BPD.
• Explains Schema Therapy (ST) for BPD based on the schema mode model, discussing different treatment methods and techniques geared to specific schema modes.
• Covers the latest developments in the field of ST, such as Group Schema Therapy and the application of ST for couples.
• Includes handouts to give to patients, including a biographical diary, forms for homework assignments and problem solving, and a positive self-statement log.

Schema Therapy for Borderline Personality Disorder is essential reading for clinical psychologists, psychotherapists, psychopathologists, psychiatrists, mental health practitioners, and advanced undergraduate and graduate students in relevant fields.