Borderline Personality (BPD) Therapists in Whittier, Minneapolis, MN

Photo of Lauren Riegert, Clinical Social Work/Therapist, MSW, LICSW
Lauren Riegert
Clinical Social Work/Therapist, MSW, LICSW
1 Endorsed
Online Only
You may feel exhausted by the constant thoughts about food, body image, control, or self-worth. Maybe your eating disorder began as a way to cope, stay safe, feel in control, or manage overwhelming emotions...but now it feels like it’s taken over your life. What people see on the outside may not match the disconnection, anxiety, and shame you feel on the inside. Many of the clients I work with have spent years criticizing themselves, minimizing their pain, or feeling disconnected from their bodies and emotions.
You may feel exhausted by the constant thoughts about food, body image, control, or self-worth. Maybe your eating disorder began as a way to cope, stay safe, feel in control, or manage overwhelming emotions...but now it feels like it’s taken over your life. What people see on the outside may not match the disconnection, anxiety, and shame you feel on the inside. Many of the clients I work with have spent years criticizing themselves, minimizing their pain, or feeling disconnected from their bodies and emotions.
(612) 482-9214 View (612) 482-9214
Photo of Kelly Miklas - Kelly J. Miklas - KJ Psychotherapy & Intensives. , Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, MA, LPCC
Kelly J. Miklas - KJ Psychotherapy & Intensives.
Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, MA, LPCC
Whittier, Minneapolis, MN 55404
I'm skilled at helping others take inventory of their lives, manage present-day symptoms/concerns/patterns, and process wounds from the past, through an approachable and collaborative process. I strive to be authentic, non-judgmental, non-coercive, and down-to-earth in sessions, but can also gently challenge you when needed. I tailor my approach to each individual, considering their unique background, strengths, personal goals, and areas of growth. I am committed to challenging systems of oppression and strive to respect your autonomy, consent, and individual cultural context.
I'm skilled at helping others take inventory of their lives, manage present-day symptoms/concerns/patterns, and process wounds from the past, through an approachable and collaborative process. I strive to be authentic, non-judgmental, non-coercive, and down-to-earth in sessions, but can also gently challenge you when needed. I tailor my approach to each individual, considering their unique background, strengths, personal goals, and areas of growth. I am committed to challenging systems of oppression and strive to respect your autonomy, consent, and individual cultural context.
(952) 900-6845 View (952) 900-6845
Photo of Eric Francis Levy, Counselor, LPCC
Eric Francis Levy
Counselor, LPCC
4 Endorsed
Whittier, Minneapolis, MN 55404
I am a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor with extensive experience working with couples, families, adolescents and individuals. I have expertise working with family conflict, DUI related issues, sexuality, sexual behavior problems, addictions, and crisis intervention. Other areas of interest and experience include family conflict, divorce, depression, anxiety, developmental disabilities and parenting issues.
I am a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor with extensive experience working with couples, families, adolescents and individuals. I have expertise working with family conflict, DUI related issues, sexuality, sexual behavior problems, addictions, and crisis intervention. Other areas of interest and experience include family conflict, divorce, depression, anxiety, developmental disabilities and parenting issues.
(612) 400-7756 View (612) 400-7756
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.