Treating Difficult Personality Disorders

"Practicing clinicians from all mental health disciplines willbenefit from this practical guide for treating personalitydisordered patients who present unique and difficult challenges totraditional methods of psychotherapeutic intervention. Nationallyrecognized experts in the treatment of severe characterpsychopathology present their perspectives on the management ofthese difficult-to-treat borderline and narcissisticpatients."

Liberally illustrated with clinical vignettes that speak vividly tothe struggles of every clinician who works with these kinds ofpatients, this book is a `best buy' for any practitioner who wouldundertake such challenges. (Howard A. Bacal, M.D., training andsupervising analyst, The Institute of Contemporary Psychoanalysis,Los Angeles)

Provides an excellent resource for working with these challengingpatients. (Brian Shaw, PH.D., psychologist-in-chief, The TorontoHospital/Hospital for Sick Children)

This pragmatic volume goes a long way toward guiding us toimproving the care for people with difficult personality disorders.(Paul E. Garfinkel, M.D., professor and chair, Department ofPsychiatry, University of Toronto Medical School)

Certainly, there is no lack of individuals with difficult personality disorders and who could benefit from therapeutic treatment. Yet clinicians are often reluctant to treat them as the process can be demanding and painful for both client and clinician. Treating Difficult Personalities is an essential and usable resource for therapists who have taken on patients whose disorders have had life long negative effects on their identity, work, and relationships.Experts in the field offer the most current information for the successful assessment and clinical treatment of this challenging client population and outline flexible treatment options for borderline, narcissistic, and anti-social personalities. In addition, the book addresses the question of countertransference one of the most acute problems in treating difficult personalities with reassuring, supportive advice to help practitioners deal with their own emotions while working with these provocative clients.