Personality Disorders: Comprehensive Review of Assessment and Management

In this fully online, 10-hour asynchronous course, Instructor Dr. David Mays begins with the assumption that you can't manage what you can't understand. Learn a simple approach for distinguishing the 10 personality disorders: the notion that each disorder has a unique interpersonal agenda that is repeated over and over again. This knowledge can help you, the clinician, recognize what is happening in the client's world. It may then be possible to break the impasse that is impeding therapeutic progress. You also learn about attachment and attachment patterns, which are the agendas of the personality disorders; transference, boundary, and safety issues; and treatment, management, medication and modest goals. You will have access to the course site for 6 months.

Some behavior patterns consistently confound and provoke. Clinicians often feel helpless and frustrated as they try to help clients and families who are locked in endless interpersonal conflict. Studies consistently show that medications and psychotherapy will not change people who blame their difficulties on everyone but themselves. High drama, hostile dependence, and intimidation all increase the risk for boundary violations and poor outcomes, so it is critical to discover how to work more effectively with clients with a personality disorder.

Learning objectives

• Describe basic theories of personality and how personality develops.
• List the 10 personality disorders.
• Recognize essential characteristics of each personality disorder.
• Discuss the efficacy of various treatments.
• Describe how transference and countertransference affect therapy.

Level

• Intermediate to advanced.

By participating in this class you will earn:

Explanation of Continuing Education Hours