Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) Therapy

At My LA Therapy, our therapists are trained to help you heal your underlying trauma, so that you can begin to develop a more resilient sense of self and create lasting, stable relationships. 

We will teach you how to implement practical skills for emotional regulation and address distorted thought patterns that are contributing to your anxiety, depression, relationship, and self-esteem issues.

Most importantly, we will gently help you face and overcome your past trauma so that you can heal and get your life back!

Sound like a plan?

Read on to get to know some of the most effective techniques we use to tackle BPD head on:

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT): This technique has proven to be the most effective for Borderline Personality Disorder. It incorporates mindfulness training and focuses on how to control intense emotions, reduce self-destructive behavior, manage distress, and improve relationships. 

DBT seeks a balance between accepting and changing behaviors. This proactive, problem-solving approach was designed specifically to treat BPD. Treatment includes individual therapy sessions, skills training in a group therapy setting, and phone coaching as needed. 

Mentalization-based therapy (MBT): This talk therapy helps people identify and understand what others might be thinking and feeling to create more empathy and more effective ways of relating to and communicating with others.

Transference-focused therapy (TFP): This form of therapy is designed to help patients understand their emotions and interpersonal problems through the relationship between patient and therapist. We explore our feelings and reactions within the therapy relationship and experience a new way of relating with one another, ultimately resulting in a corrective emotional experience. As time goes on, you begin to internalize this new way of feeling safe and relating to others and can carry these new skills and insights into your life outside of therapy. Using transference and the relationship to generate insight and healing is a major part of most psychodynamic therapists’ repertoires and this methodology is not unique to TFP. 

Good Psychiatric Management: Good Psychiatric Management provides mental health professionals an easy-to-adopt “tool box” for patients with personality disorders.

Medications: Although meds don’t cure Borderline Personality Disorder, they can help people with BPD feel more stable and grounded. In addition, they may treat other conditions that often accompany the disorder, such as depression, impulsivity, and anxiety. People with BPD are encouraged to talk with their prescribing doctor about what to expect from each medication and its side effects. 

Nutrition Therapy: More and more, studies are finding connections between the gut and mental health. In some cases, using targeted nutrition therapy (vitamins, minerals, and supplements) can be as or more effective than medication. New research is continually be generated and the knowledge in the emerging field of Functional Medicine and Functional Nutrition is rapidly developing. Working with a specialist who can help you tailor your diet and supplementation routine is a good alternative for those who do not wish to explore medication. Visit our Functional Nutrition Therapy and Holistic Therapy and our Nutrition Therapy Research pages for more information. 

Self-Care: This includes regular exercise, good sleep habits, taking medications or supplements as prescribed, and healthy stress management. Good self-care can help to reduce common symptoms of BPD such as mood changes, impulsive behavior, and irritability.

BPD can be a very confusing and isolating disorder. But we are here to help you realize that there is help available and you don’t have to do it alone.