Personality Disorder
Understanding Personality Disorders
There is a glut of mis and dis-information online about personality disorders. Particularly about Narcissistic and Borderline Personality Disorders. Every one of us has these traits to one degree or another. They can sometimes even be productive and adaptive. It is harmful to label others as Narcissistic or Borderline by checking off the boxes of a list of symptoms. For example, not every failed relationship is due to a Narcissistic partner. Selfishness is not the same as NPD. Emotional dysregulation is not always BPD. Careful diagnosis by a trained professional requires more information than the list in the DSM. Often, people who are suffering from trauma or complex PTSD are misdiagnosed as having a personality disorder. If you or your loved one is wondering if they may be suffering from a disorder of personality structure, please seek the advice of a trained mental health clinician for diagnosis before you turn to the internet.
What Are Personality Disorders?
Personality disorders are a group of conditions characterized by unhealthy patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving that are enduring, inflexible, and cause significant distress or impairment in personal, social, and occupational functioning. Unlike temporary emotional states or reactions to specific situations (even chronic situations like living in an abusive relationship), personality disorders represent long-term patterns that typically begin in late adolescence or early adulthood and persist throughout life if left untreated.
These disorders affect approximately 9-10% of the general population and often co-occur with other mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, or substance use disorders. What distinguishes personality disorders from other mental health conditions is that they fundamentally affect how a person perceives themselves, relates to others, and interacts with the world around them.
Our Treatment Approach
At Tau Counseling, we have therapists who understand that personality disorders require specialized, evidence-based treatment approaches. We believe in taking a compassionate, non-judgmental stance while providing effective therapeutic interventions tailored to each client's unique needs.
Evidence-Based Treatments We Offer:
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
DBT is considered the gold standard treatment for Borderline Personality Disorder and is effective for other personality disorders as well. This approach combines cognitive-behavioral techniques with mindfulness practices to help clients:
- Develop emotional regulation skills
- Improve distress tolerance
- Enhance interpersonal effectiveness
- Build mindfulness practices for better self-awareness
We provide DBT-informed therapy by clinicians trained in specific skills and concepts. This is ideal for highly motivated clients, those who have already completed a Comprehensive DBT Program, or those preparing to enter a Comprehensive program and needing support.
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT helps clients identify and challenge distorted thoughts and beliefs that contribute to personality disorder symptoms. Our therapists use CBT to help clients:
- Recognize and modify unhelpful thinking patterns
- Develop more adaptive behavioral responses
- Build problem-solving skills
- Improve day-to-day functioning
Mentalization Based Therapy
Mentalization is the ability to accurately identify and distinguish between your own state of mind and that of others. One can think of mentalizing as the 'thinking" version of empathizing. Empathy is feeling a shift in your own emotions as a result of being exposed to someone else's feelings. Mentalizing is knowing that someone else has thoughts that may or may not be aligned with your own thoughts. Mentalizing is also the awareness that my words, actions and moods send ripples into the world that affect others. Mentalizing and Empathizing must work together for relationships to feel stable and for social skills to flourish. Mentalizing helps people recognize that their mental state influences their own behavior and the reactions they get from others. It is a normal cognitive (which means thinking, not feeling) function necessary for stable relationships that is limited in those with various personality disorders. MBT is a talk-therapy, psychodynamic approach.
At Tau Counseling, we have therapists who are versed in various modalities and can use them in an integrated fashion to create a specialized plan of care just for you.
To book an assessment of a possible Personality Disorder with a therapist at Tau Counseling,
Please use the Chat feature, or call our 24/7 receptionist at 443-266-8455.
Service areas cover the entire state of Maryland, DC, and Virginia via telehealth
including Frederick, Baltimore, Timonium, Bethesda, Silver Spring, Bel Air, Frostburg, and more
