Borderline Personality (BPD) Therapists in Oakland-Winchell, Kalamazoo, MI
When people have experienced loss, trauma, abuse, chronic stress, addiction or disconnection from others they may develop unhealthy patterns of responding. We can transform many of these patterns through increasing our own awareness. We all carry the answers to our own healing within us. I seek to make working with me accessible and welcoming to all. You are invited to come as you are. I'm here for you when you are feeling stuck, limited by stigma or shame, caught in past hurts, fearful, isolated, or in need of getting back to feeling like you.
When people have experienced loss, trauma, abuse, chronic stress, addiction or disconnection from others they may develop unhealthy patterns of responding. We can transform many of these patterns through increasing our own awareness. We all carry the answers to our own healing within us. I seek to make working with me accessible and welcoming to all. You are invited to come as you are. I'm here for you when you are feeling stuck, limited by stigma or shame, caught in past hurts, fearful, isolated, or in need of getting back to feeling like you.
Ryan Strong
Licensed Professional Counselor, MA, LPC
1 Endorsed
Oakland-Winchell, Kalamazoo, MI 49008
Waitlist for new clients
Your situation is not unworkable. Trauma, stress, and mental health struggles are part of life. What you make of these elements is your contribution to the art of living, an art form that often demands practice and growth. I provide a compassionate, non-judgmental space, as well as the tools and knowledge to help you realign with the deepest parts of yourself. My ideal client is ready to overcome hesitation, move forward and re-establish authentic living. I will assist you in shifting away from endless cycles of struggling against yourself towards living intimately with the natural joy available to you in this life.
Your situation is not unworkable. Trauma, stress, and mental health struggles are part of life. What you make of these elements is your contribution to the art of living, an art form that often demands practice and growth. I provide a compassionate, non-judgmental space, as well as the tools and knowledge to help you realign with the deepest parts of yourself. My ideal client is ready to overcome hesitation, move forward and re-establish authentic living. I will assist you in shifting away from endless cycles of struggling against yourself towards living intimately with the natural joy available to you in this life.
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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.