Extant treatments for borderline personality disorder (BPD) are intensive, long-term (usually at least one year), and have, understandably, focused on targeting the life-threatening and therapy-interrupting behaviors that often characterize this disorder. BPD, however, is a heterogeneous disorder with diagnostic criteria that can be combined to create over 300 unique symptom presentations (Ellis, Abrams, & Abrams, 2008); to date, no treatments have been explicitly designed with lower risk presentations of BPD in mind. This is unfortunate, as there is evidence to suggest that the majority of individuals with BPD do not demonstrate the recurrent life-threatening behaviors that warrant intensive, long-term care (Trull, Useda, Conforti, & Doan, 1997; Zimmerman & Coryell, 1989). Additionally, various studies have shown that the difficulties experienced by individuals with BPD can be understood as manifestations of maladaptive variants of personality traits (e.g., Mullins-Sweatt et al., 2012; Kotov et al., 2017). Specifically, individuals with BPD demonstrate high levels of neuroticism, and low levels of agreeableness (antagonism) and conscientiousness (disinhibition); these traits may not be universally present across all individuals with BPD, perhaps underscoring the heterogeneity in presentations of this condition. BPD Compass (Cognitive-behavioral Modules for Personality Symptoms) is a short-term, customizable treatment for people with BPD and commonly comorbid conditions (e.g., anxiety, depression, substance use, PTSD). This workshop will first briefly review the theories of BPD that underscored the development of BPD Compass. This will be followed by a description and demonstration of how to apply core BPD Compass modules, along with the similarities and differences between the BPD Compass and traditional CBT. Audio and videotaped illustrations of core treatment interventions (e.g., mindful awareness, emotion exposures) will be presented, along with detailed case examples involving complex comorbidity.
Educational Objectives:
(a) Participants will develop a case conceptualization for borderline personality disorder based on the personality dimensions that maintain symptoms of this condition: negative affect, antagonism, and disinhibition
(b) Participants will learn strategies to customize the delivery of BPD Compass based on the presentation of individual patients
(c) Participants will learn to administer therapeutic components of BPD Compass with patients with BPD and commonly co-occuring conditions