Borderline Personality (BPD) Therapists in 37912
Sondra Haley
Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC, MHSP
Verified Verified
Knoxville, TN 37912
Waitlist for new clients
Navigating the sea of life requires a different set of skills throughout life. What works when you are 16 years old doesn’t work so well when you’re 40 years old. Oftentimes when life is passing by so quickly, adapting to the changes requires better-coping skills, skills you've yet to acquire. Or maybe, your teen has all of a sudden became distant, argumentative, and secretive. You’ve tried to be supportive in their growing independence, yet still needing a home base, but the scales aren’t balancing out. This is when you understand that seeking outside intervention is necessary.
Navigating the sea of life requires a different set of skills throughout life. What works when you are 16 years old doesn’t work so well when you’re 40 years old. Oftentimes when life is passing by so quickly, adapting to the changes requires better-coping skills, skills you've yet to acquire. Or maybe, your teen has all of a sudden became distant, argumentative, and secretive. You’ve tried to be supportive in their growing independence, yet still needing a home base, but the scales aren’t balancing out. This is when you understand that seeking outside intervention is necessary.
Dr. Wes Allen
Licensed Professional Counselor, PhD, LPC, MHSP, NCC
Verified Verified
Knoxville, TN 37912
My work as a counselor focuses on helping individuals use the strengths they already possess to enact positive change within their lives. I firmly believe that as people, we possess the powers within us to solve almost any problem that life throws at us. Sometimes, as the result of things we encounter in life, be it: trauma, messages learned in childhood, patterns of thought that are no longer needed, grief, or other difficult life experiences, we have trouble finding the path to the answers within us. As a counselor, I feel privileged to help people find the paths to the answers they seek.
My work as a counselor focuses on helping individuals use the strengths they already possess to enact positive change within their lives. I firmly believe that as people, we possess the powers within us to solve almost any problem that life throws at us. Sometimes, as the result of things we encounter in life, be it: trauma, messages learned in childhood, patterns of thought that are no longer needed, grief, or other difficult life experiences, we have trouble finding the path to the answers within us. As a counselor, I feel privileged to help people find the paths to the answers they seek.
Robert Gregory
Counselor, LPC, MHSP, NCC
Verified Verified
Knoxville, TN 37912
I am an independent and board certified provider of counseling services. I have worked in mental health since 1997 and received his Masters of Mental Health Counseling from the University of Tennessee in 2000. Prior to my time in private practice I was fortunate to work with a diverse population facing a broad spectrum of clinical issues in the community and area mental health centers. I have done extensive work as a counselor with children and families. I enjoy assisting children, couples, and families find success within themselves while facing mental health issues.
I am an independent and board certified provider of counseling services. I have worked in mental health since 1997 and received his Masters of Mental Health Counseling from the University of Tennessee in 2000. Prior to my time in private practice I was fortunate to work with a diverse population facing a broad spectrum of clinical issues in the community and area mental health centers. I have done extensive work as a counselor with children and families. I enjoy assisting children, couples, and families find success within themselves while facing mental health issues.
Bob Coates
Counselor, MDiv, LMFT-TN, LPC, TN-VA, LMHC-Fl
Verified Verified
Knoxville, TN 37912 (Online Only)
I radiate empathy towards the personal challenges of suffering, be it physical, spiritual, or psychological. I also strive to assist your loved ones in comprehending the difficulties and possibilities in your life. With my background in collaborative care within the medical field, I can coordinate your treatment alongside your physician, should you wish. Moreover, I possess a deep understanding of executive professionals, recovering healthcare practitioners, attorneys, and judges. Many patients consistently express how therapy has granted them a renewed sense of consciousness, eradicating feelings of isolation and disconnection.
I radiate empathy towards the personal challenges of suffering, be it physical, spiritual, or psychological. I also strive to assist your loved ones in comprehending the difficulties and possibilities in your life. With my background in collaborative care within the medical field, I can coordinate your treatment alongside your physician, should you wish. Moreover, I possess a deep understanding of executive professionals, recovering healthcare practitioners, attorneys, and judges. Many patients consistently express how therapy has granted them a renewed sense of consciousness, eradicating feelings of isolation and disconnection.
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Borderline Personality (BPD) Therapists
What is the most successful approach to treating borderline personality disorder?
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is considered the gold standard of treatment for borderline personality disorder. An evidence-based treatment, it addresses the extreme emotional reactivity, the relationship difficulties, and the acts of self-harm that create so much distress for BPD patients. DBT is a comprehensive program that includes both regular individual psychotherapy sessions and weekly group sessions of skills training.
What happens in treatment of borderline personality disorder?
Treatment typically consists of weekly individual therapy sessions that last an hour and group skill-focused instructional sessions that may last up to two hours. Patients are typically given homework “assignments” in which they are asked to practice in their daily life the skills they acquire in therapy. Patients also keep a diary tracking their emotions and impulses as a way to know which situations are most problematic and to help them gain control over their own behavior. Difficult situations and feelings are typically reviewed in therapy sessions and more constructive solutions found.
What kinds of problems does BPD treatment help with?
DBT was initially developed to dampen the self-destructive impulses of chronically suicidal patients. It is now the treatment of choice for borderline personality disorder, a serious condition marked by extreme emotional reactivity, relationship instability, and self-injurious behaviors. Treatment of BPD helps patients tolerate the flux of emotions without acting on them, often with a specific focus on tolerating negative emotions. DBT addresses the core problems of BPD—fear of abandonment, low self-esteem, and impulsivity.
What is the goal of treatment in borderline personality disorder?
The goal of treatment for borderline personality disorder (BPD) is to relieve the extreme emotional distress that patients experience—to curb their emotional reactivity, to minimize their inclination to self-harm, and to reduce their impulsivity. Toward these ends, patients are not only taught an array of new coping skills and techniques for emotional regulation, they are given opportunities to practice them. Another major goal of treatment is interpersonal effectiveness; patients learn and problem-solve ways to effectively communicate in relationships, especially how to ask for what they need as a way to minimize hurt feelings.