Transference-Focused Psychotherapy for Borderline Personality Disorder: A Clinical Guide

Transference-Focused Psychotherapy for Borderline Personality Disorder: A
Clinical Guide presents a model of borderline personality disorder (BPD) and its
treatment that is based on contemporary psychoanalytic object relations theory
as developed by the leading thinker in the field, Otto Kernberg, M.D., who is
also one of the authors of this insightful manual. The model is supported and
enhanced by material on current phenomenological and neurobiological research
and is grounded in real-world cases that deftly illustrate principles of
intervention in ways that mental health professionals can use with their
patients.

The book first provides clinicians with a model of borderline
pathology that is essential for expert assessment and treatment planning and
then addresses the empirical underpinnings and specific therapeutic strategies
of transference-focused psychotherapy (TFP). From the chapter on clinical
assessment, the clinician learns how to select the type of treatment on the
basis of the level of personality organization, the symptoms the patient
experiences, and the areas of compromised functioning. In order to decide on the
type of treatment, the clinician must examine the patient's subjective
experience (such as symptoms of anxiety or depression), observable behaviors
(such as investments in relationships and deficits in functioning), and
psychological structures (such as identity, defenses, and reality testing).
Next, the clinician learns to establish the conditions of treatment through
negotiating a verbal treatment contract or understanding with the patient. The
contract defines the responsibilities of each of the participants and defines
what the reality of the therapeutic relationship is. Techniques of treatment
interventions and tactics to address particularly difficult clinical challenges
are addressed next, equipping the therapist to employ the four primary
techniques of TFP (interpretation, transference analysis, technical neutrality,
and use of countertransference) and setting the stage for and guiding the proper
use of those techniques within the individual session. What to expect in the
course of long-term treatment to ameliorate symptoms and to effect personality
change is covered, with sections on the early, middle, and late phases of
treatment. This material prepares the clinician to deal with predictable phases,
such as tests of the frame, impulse containment, movement toward integration,
episodes of regression, and termination. Finally, the text is accompanied by
supremely instructive online videos that demonstrate a variety of clinical
situations, helping the clinician with assessment and modeling critical
therapeutic strategies. The book recognizes that each BPD patient presents a
unique treatment challenge. Grounded in the latest research and rich with
clinical insight, Transference-Focused Psychotherapy for Borderline Personality
Disorder: A Clinical Guide will prove indispensable to mental health
professionals seeking to provide thoughtful, effective care to these
patients.