Gregory W. Lester – 3-Day Personality Disorders Course: Advanced Diagnosis, Treatment, & Management

Outline

The Essentials of Advanced Assessment & Treatment Effectiveness: Fill in the missing pieces and create a treatment plan that works

• The Distinction “Personality Disorder”
  • Why traditional models of mental health don’t fit
  • “Symptomatic” conditions vs. “characteristic” conditions
  • The underlying structure of disordered personality
  • What makes a personality disorder a chronic condition?
  • Why personality disordered people think “it’s everybody else”
  • Why “normal” talking with personality disordered people is ineffective
• The Effects of a Personality Disorder
  • How personality disordered people create difficulties for themselves and others
  • The difference in life pattern between “normal” and “disordered” personality
  • How to predict the behavior of individuals with personality disorders
  • The type of chaos created by
    • Cluster A personalities
      • Paranoid Personality Disorder
      • Schizoid Personality Disorder
      • Schizotypal Personality Disorder
    • Cluster B personalities
      • Antisocial Personality Disorder
      • Borderline Personality Disorder
      • Histrionic Personality Disorder
      • Narcissistic Personality Disorder
    • Cluster C personalities
      • Avoidant Personality Disorder
      • Dependent Personality Disorder
      • Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder
• Assessment and Diagnosis of Personality Disorder
  • Why diagnosis is EVERYTHING in treatment of personality disorders
  • 5 steps to identify and diagnose a personality disorder
    • Effective, brief, and rapid identification
    • Tests and clinical instruments
• Why the Etiology of Personality Disorders Matters in Treatment
  • The single biggest mistake clinicians make regarding etiology
  • Why misunderstanding etiology will disable interventions
  • What causes personality disorders – the definitive conclusion
• Treating vs. Managing Personality Disorders
  • Predicting “treatability” of a personality disordered client
  • Critical preparation to determine the proper intervention approach
  • How to choose an intervention approach
  • The structure that makes all interventions effective
    • Two common techniques
  • Develop effective treatment goals for Cluster A, B, and C personalities

Advanced and Empirically Validated Intervention Approaches in Action: A step-by-step plan to implement the most appropriate treatment strategy

• Select Intervention Based on “Treatability” Level of Client
  • Optimal functioning
    • Mentalization-Based Treatment
    • Transference-Focused Psychotherapy
    • Interpersonal Reconstructive Psychotherapy
    • Object Relations Developmental Psychotherapy
  • Adequate functioning
    • Dialectical Behavior Therapy
    • Schema-Based Treatment
    • Personality-Guided Psychotherapy
  • Targeted behavior improvement
    • Tactical Therapy
    • Strategic Therapy
    • Structural Therapy
  • Limitations and risks of the psychotherapeutic approaches
• 4-Step Approach to Effective Personality Disorder Treatment
  • Engage the treatment relationship
  • Apply two fundamental treatment techniques
  • Determine category of treatment
  • Utilize approach based on client’s diagnosis and treatment goals
• 3-Step Approach to Effective Personality Disorder Management
  • Foundation to inhibit disordered behavior
  • Implement contingency
  • Utilize approach specific to client’s diagnosis
• 3 Must-Have Intervention Techniques for Personality Disorders
  • Behavioral Chain Analysis
  • Mentalizing interpretations
  • Problem-solving process confrontations

Special Issues with Personality Disorders

• Interventions for Co-occurring Conditions
  • Typical co-occurring disorders for the 10 subtypes
  • Sequencing interventions for co-occurring conditions
  • Medication do’s and don’ts with personality disorders

• Crisis Management: Self-Harm and Suicide Interventions
  • Fundamental misunderstandings
  • Physiological effects and motivations
  • Interventions to reduce or eliminate self-harm
  • Harvard’s three distinctions of suicidality
  • Interventions for chronic suicidal ideation
  • Treatment approaches for acute suicidality
• Unique Considerations
  • Personality disorders in children and adolescents
    • Intervention modifications
  • Couples and family therapy interventions
    • Special procedures for interventions
  • Working with significant others of a personality disordered individual
    • Methods to help them stay out of difficulties
    • Coach for effective management
    • Self-care for significant others