Training In CBT & Other Evidence-Based Psychological Therapies
Introduction
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; Yen et al., 2021). 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; Sauer-Zavala et. al 2023) is a short-term, customizable treatment for people with BPD and commonly comorbid conditions (e.g., anxiety, depression, substance use, PTSD). BPD is associated with reductions in BPD symptoms that are comparable in magnitude to gold-standard approaches (e.g., DBT), as well as reductions in co-occurring anxiety, depressive, substance use, and eating disorders.
The event will be equivalent to 5.1/2 hrs of CPD.
Content
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.
Learning Objectives
• Participants will be able to articulate a case conceptualization for borderline personality disorder based on the personality dimensions that maintain symptoms of this condition: negative affectivity, antagonism, and disinhibition
• Participants will be able to describe how the personality traits that underlie BPD may also account for the high degree of comorbidity with anxiety, depressive, substance use, and eating disorders.
• Participants will be able to articulate how the BPD Compass modules engage its personality-based treatment targets (i.e., negative affectivity, antagonism, and disinhibition)
• Participants will be ablet o articulate the importance of including values identification as a form of motivational enhancement for patients with BPD
• Participants will be able to describe strategies to customize the delivery of BPD Compass based on the presentation of individual patients
• Participants will be able to describe the application of therapeutic components of BPD Compass with patients with BPD and commonly co-occurring conditions
Training Modalities
Didactic, Q&A, presentation of case examples, use of chat facility.
Key References
Ellis, A., Abrams, M., & Abrams, L. D. (2009). Abnormal personality and personality disorders. In A. Ellis, M. Abrams, & L. D. Abrams (Eds.), Personality theories: Critical perspectives (pp. 437–478). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Kotov, R., Krueger, R. F., Watson, D., Achenbach, T. M., Althoff, R. R., Bagby, R. M., ... & Zimmerman, M. (2017). The Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP): A dimensional alternative to traditional nosologies. Journal of abnormal psychology, 126(4), 454.
Mullins-Sweatt, S. N., Edmundson, M., Sauer-Zavala, S., Lynam, D. R., Miller, J. D., & Widiger, T. A. (2012). Five-factor measure of borderline personality traits. Journal of Personality Assessment, 94(5), 475-487.
Sauer-Zavala, S., Southward, M. W., Hood, C. O., Elhusseini, S., Fruhbauerova, M., Stumpp, N. E., & Semcho, S. A. (2023). Conceptual development and case data for a modular, personality-based treatment for borderline personality disorder. Personality Disorders: Theory, Research, and Treatment, 14(4), 369.
Sauer-Zavala, S., Southward, M. W., Fruhbauerova, M., Semcho, S. A., Stumpp, N. E., Hood, C. O., ... & Cravens, L. (2023). BPD compass: A randomized controlled trial of a short-term, personality-based treatment for borderline personality disorder. Personality Disorders: Theory, Research, and Treatment.
Trull, T. J., Useda, J. D., Conforti, K., & Doan, B. T. (1997). Borderline personality disorder features in nonclinical young adults: 2. Two-year outcome. Journal of abnormal psychology, 106(2), 307.
Yen, S., Peters, J. R., Nishar, S., Grilo, C. M., Sanislow, C. A., Shea, M. T., ... & Skodol, A. E. (2021). Association of borderline personality disorder criteria with suicide attempts: Findings from the collaborative longitudinal study of personality disorders over 10 years of follow-up. JAMA psychiatry, 78(2), 187-194.
About the presenter
Dr Sauer-Zavala is Licensed Clinical Psychologist with over 15 years of experience working with people struggling with anxiety and depression. She is also an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Kentucky (UK) where she develops new treatments for common mental health conditions and tests them in rigorous clinical trials. Dr Sauer-Zavala received her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from UK in 2011; she completed her predoctoral residency at Duke University Medical Center and her postdoctoral fellowship at Boston University. Dr Sauer-Zavala is well-regarded in her field. She has co-authored over 120 peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and an academic book on personality. Her research has been supported by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), the Canadian Institute of Health Research, and the Templeton Foundation.10-15 lines about you.
Who should attend
Mental health professionals of varying degrees of experience and backgrounds who have some familiarity with cognitive-behavioral approaches.