Skills For Working With BPD 101

An Introduction to BPD - Exploring what works, and how to support these clients.

This interactive webinar workshop is offered by Diane Clare who is an experienced clinical psychologist. It is an introduction to skills for working with those with BPD, and will examine and address, the following questions regarding Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD):

What is personality?
How does personality become disordered?
What is Borderline Personality Disorder?
Why does BPD have such an impact on staff?
How is BPD most effectively managed and treated?
How do we support the client and their families effectively.

The workshop will provide attendees with practical skills for working with those with emotional intensity difficulties, as well as a brief introduction to the STEPPS (Systems Training in Emotional Predictability & Problem Solving) programme, explain why this approach is so helpful in responding to clients with consistency, and why it lends itself well to a cultural approach with Maori and Pacific cultures due to working with the client’s support system.

Many practitioners have said that the skills learned in this workshop have been useful to apply to a wider range of clients than solely to those with borderline personality e.g. people with emotional intensity problems or impulse control problems.

Learning Outcomes:
Through gaining a fuller understanding of BPD and what is working in supporting these clients, participants will gain a new set of resources and related skills that can be applied to their practice, and the training will provide increased confidence when working with these clients who can be challenging for services. Staff’s assessment and conceptualisation skills regarding borderline personality disorder will be enhanced.

It will provide specific guidance for all mental health professionals in evidence-based psychological treatment for personality disorders, and complex trauma, and will dispel the common myths about Borderline Personality Disorder – what it is, and what it is not.

Who should attend:
In addition to therapists and MH professionals in both primary and secondary level care, this workshop is also for front-line staff with no, or little psychological training, who may be struggling with how to work with these clients.

It is suitable for those working in social services, health and law enforcement, including:

- Emergency Room staff, Crisis Telephone Helpline staff
- School counsellors and teaching staff
- Community mental health staff
- Police and Probation Officers
- Youth justice counsellors
- Key Workers, Unit Managers, Mental Health Nurses, Social Workers
- General Practitioners
- Psychologists & Psychiatrists RTLB, Therapists, and Licensed Practising Counsellors

It will particularly suit those in NFPs, community-based outreach services, community organisations, and those working with specific groups including young people or people with comorbid substance use.

Your presenter Diane Clare:
BA, MA (Hons), Dip. Clin. Psych., AFBPS / Memberships: NZCCP, MNZAP, ISSTD
Accredited Practitioner in EMDR and is a member of the EMDRNZ Board.

Diane Clare is a registered clinical psychologist who trained at the University of Canterbury. Diane has worked in mental health and counselling services since 1981. In 2022 Diane was made a Fellow of ISSTD (International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation) in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the field of trauma and dissociation.

We are also offering a 2-day online workshop about how to deliver the 20-week STEPPS programme. Email faye@grow.co.nz to register your interest in this training or visit the website for more information.

Visit the website for more information.