Therapists in 96746
Dr. Steve
Psychologist, PsyD
Verified Verified
Kapaa, HI 96746
Aloha :) Currently accepting new Kaiser Permanente and HMSA clients. I welcome individuals of all backgrounds and life experiences into this shared work. I provide professional therapeutic services to couples, families, individual adults, adolescents, and children addressing a range of clinical issues. I honor wherever you are on your journey and believe in cultivating space, and curiosity as we navigate this path together. I believe that understanding and compassion are vital for building trust, mutual respect, and openness, all of which are essential in forming a therapeutic relationship that can encourage change.
Aloha :) Currently accepting new Kaiser Permanente and HMSA clients. I welcome individuals of all backgrounds and life experiences into this shared work. I provide professional therapeutic services to couples, families, individual adults, adolescents, and children addressing a range of clinical issues. I honor wherever you are on your journey and believe in cultivating space, and curiosity as we navigate this path together. I believe that understanding and compassion are vital for building trust, mutual respect, and openness, all of which are essential in forming a therapeutic relationship that can encourage change.
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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.