Fostering Mentalization in BPD

Mentalizing is the process of attributing meaning both to the internal psychic processes of others and internally to one’s own psychic processes. It is rooted in our early development and the result of successfully forming a stable attachment to our primary caregivers and being able to maintain the constancy of that internalized attachment through the vicissitudes of various emotional states and relationships. BPD is both a serious and complex disorder characterized by difficulty with emotional regulation, impulse control, and both unstable relationships and self-image. This presentation will focus more on the clinical interventions through an example of process, as opposed to the first presentation which focused on strategies used by people with BPD to manage their lack of ability to mentalize, the problems BPD patients have with mentalization, the structure of MBT (Mentalization-Based Treatment), therapist stance and attitude, basic interventions, and the role and effectiveness of both individual and group therapy.