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Evaluation ViewAttendees 18

Mini Workshop

Personality Disorders

Session: BPD Compass: A novel, short-term CBT protocol for borderline personality disorder

Mini Workshop 3 - BPD Compass: A Novel, Short-term CBT Protocol for Borderline Personality Disorder

Friday, November 17, 2023
10:30 AM – 12:00 PM PST
Location: Columbia C, Level 3
Earn 1.5 Credit
Keywords: Borderline Personality Disorder, Transdiagnostic,
Level of Familiarity: Basic to Moderate
Recommended Readings: Sauer-Zavala, S., Southward, M. W., Fruhbaerova, M., Semcho, S. A., Stumpp, N. E., Hood, C. O., Smith, M., Elhusseini, S., & Cravens, L. (in press). BPD Compass: A randomized controlled trial of a short-term, personality-based treatment for borderline personality disorder. Personality Disorders: Theory, Research, & Treatment.,   Sauer-Zavala, S., Southward, M. W., Hood, C. O., Elhusseini, S., Fruhbauerova, M., Stumpp, N. E., & Semcho, S. A. (2022). Conceptual development and case data for a modular, personality-based treatment for borderline personality disorder. Personality Disorders: Theory, Research, & Treatment. Advance online publication.,   Ruggero, C. J., Kotov, R., Hopwood, C. J., First, M., Clark, L. A., Skodol, A. E., ... & Zimmermann, J. (2019). Integrating the Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP) into clinical practice. Journal of consulting and clinical psychology, 87(12), 1069.,   ,  
BPD COMPASS (Cognitive-behavioral Modules for Personality Symptoms) is a short-term, customizable treatment for people with borderline personality disorder (BPD). Ample research suggests that BPD is characterized by emotional, interpersonal, and impulsive symptoms; these problem areas are mirrored in DSM-5's Alternative Model of Personality Disorders (AMPD), which specifies that BPD is expressed as high levels of neuroticism, antagonism, and disinhibition. It is important to note, however, that this condition is heterogeneous and not all symptoms apply to each individual with BPD. BPD COMPASS allows clinicians to select discrete cognitive, behavioral, and mindfulness skills that correspond to emotional (neuroticism), interpersonal (antagonism), and impulsive (disinhibition) difficulties. This workshop will provide the conceptual background on this treatment, including a description of the mechanisms through which cognitive-behavioral skills may exert their effects on personality dimensions. We will provide an overview of each BPD COMPASS module, which include values identification, cognitive flexibility, exposure, and mindfulness. Finally, we will offer a summary of the empirical support to date. In a recent RCT, we found that BPD Compass resulted in large improvements in BPD symptoms relative to a waitlist. We also found that within-person changes in the relevant personality dimensions was associated with within-person changes in BPD symptoms, suggest that personality change is a mechanism through which BPD Compass exerts its effects.

Outline
10:30 – 11:00: Rationale for modular, personality-focused treatment
11:00 – 11:15: Values identification skills for identity disturbance and motivation
11:15 – 11:25: Flexible thinking about emotions, relationships/trust, and one’s ability to withstand impulses
11:25 – 11:35: Changing unhelpful emotional, interpersonal, and impulsive behaviors
11:35 – 11:45: Mindful attention to emotions, relationships, and urges
11:45 – 11:50: Relapse prevention
11:50 ¬– 12:00: Q & A

Learning Objectives:

At the end of the session, the learner will be able to:
  • Describe the three personality-based risk factors for BPD that are described in the DSM Alternative Model of Personality Disorders: Neuroticism, Antagonism, and Disinhibition.
  • Describe the mechanisms through which cognitive-behavioral skills engage the personality traits that maintain BPD, despite the common belief that personality is not malleable.
  • Articulate the evidence base for BPD Compass, including effects on BPD symptoms, personality features, and functioning.
  • Articulate the treatment components in BPD, including identifying/approaching values, cognitive flexibility, behavior change, and mindfulness.
  • Long Term Goals: Attendees will be able to understand how dimensional diagnostic models like the Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP) and DSM-5’s Alternative Model of Personality Disorders inform treatment decisions in CBT
  • Long Term Goals: Attendees will gain familiarity with a generalist treatment for borderline personality disorder that can be applied in common outpatient settings.