Coping with BPD: DBT and CBT Skills to Soothe the Symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder

by Blaise Aguirre MD, Gillian Galen PsyD, Alec Miller PsyD (Foreword by)

Overview

In this much-needed book, two renowned borderline personality disorder (BPD) experts offer simple, easy-to-use skills drawn from dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) and cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) to help you address the most common issues of BPD, such as intense feelings of anger, depression, and anxiety.

For many, having BPD is like living in emotional overdrive. And whether you are feeling depressed, anxious, worried, or angry, you might struggle just to get through each day. So, how can you start balancing your moods and managing your symptoms? This helpful guide addresses over fifty of the most common struggles people with BPD face every day, and offers accessible, evidence-based solutions to help you feel better and get back to living your life.

You'll discover powerful DBT and mindfulness skills to help you set personal limits, manage intense emotions and moods, and address issues like substance abuse and doing harm to yourself and others. In addition, you'll learn how to deal with the inevitable negative self-talk, feelings of paranoia, and self-invalidation.

If you’re ready to take charge of your BPD—instead of letting it take control of you—this book will be your go-to guide. Perfect for everyday use, the practices within will help you manage your symptoms as they arise.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781626252189
Publisher:	New Harbinger Publications
Publication date:	11/01/2015
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	174,508
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Blaise Aguirre, MD, is assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, and an expert in child, adolescent, and adult psychotherapy, including dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), He is founding medical director of McLean 3East—a continuum of care using DBT and related techniques to treat complex psychiatric disorders including borderline personality disorder (BPD). Aguirre has been a staff psychiatrist at McLean since 2000, and is internationally recognized for his extensive work in the treatment of mood and personality disorders in adolescents. He lectures regularly in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East on DBT and BPD. Aguirre is author of many books, including Borderline Personality Disorder in Adolescents and Depression (Biographies of Disease); and coauthor of Mindfulness for Borderline Personality Disorder, Coping with BPD, DBT for Dummies, and Helping Your Troubled Teen.


Gillian Galen, PsyD, is instructor of psychology at Harvard Medical School. She is program director and assistant director of training for McLean 3East Intensive Residential Program at the Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital—a unique residential DBT program for young women exhibiting self-endangering behaviors and BPD traits. She specializes in adolescent psychotherapy, including DBT. She has a particular interest in using mindfulness and yoga in the treatment of BPD and other psychiatric illnesses. Galen has been a registered yoga instructor since 2008. She is coauthor of Mindfulness for Borderline Personality Disorder.



Alec Miller, PsyD, is cofounder of Cognitive and Behavioral Consultants of Westchester, LLP, in White Plains, NY. He is professor of clinical psychiatry and behavioral sciences, chief of child and adolescent psychology, director of the Adolescent Depression and Suicide Program, and director of clinical services at PS 8 School-Based Mental Health Program. Miller has become internationally known in the areas of adolescent depression and suicidology, non-suicidal self-injury, borderline personality disorder (BPD), and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). He has authored numerous articles and book chapters, and is coauthor of Dialectical Behavior Therapy with Suicidal Adolescents and Childhood Maltreatment.

Interviews

Aguirre and Galen reside in Lexington, MA.

Editorial Reviews

Aguirre and Galen have raised the bar for self-help resources in the borderline personality disorder (BPD) community. Their wisdom and compassion shine through the lines of this text, creatively identifying common problems and effective solutions. For the person in recovery, they offer tools for problem solving to promote stability; and for therapists, and especially for professionals in training, they provide an opportunity to understand the individual experience of living with BPD—an accomplishment that renders this book a space in everyone’s library.”
—Perry D. Hoffman, PhD, president and cofounder of National Education Alliance for Borderline Personality Disorder


“Blaise Aguirre and Gillian Galen have written a compassionate, sensitive, and practical book to help individuals diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD) successfully navigate everyday life challenges. I'm exceptionally proud to recommend this important book to my clients as well as their family members and friends.”
—Amanda L. Smith, LMSW, dialectical behavior therapist and treatment consultant, and author of The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Wellness Planner


“Aguirre and Galen have written a thoughtful and practical guide for people suffering with borderline personality disorder (BPD). This book will be an important resource for clients as well as professionals and family members.”
—Michael Hollander, PhD, director of training at McLean 3East, assistant professor of psychology in the department of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, and author of Helping Teens Who Cut


“There are few books designed to help the individual suffering from borderline personality disorder (BPD) to use cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) tools to help get them through difficult situations. A supplement to traditional coaching and therapy, this book accomplishes that with simplicity and clarity. Aguirre and Galen have written a practical guide that will serve as a road map to help clients improve their lives, and at the same time help therapists working with some of the most challenging clients.”
—Michael Roy, LCSW, founder and executive director of Clearview Women’s Center, a treatment center specializing in borderline personality and emotional disorders


"The [book's] emphasis on lay language and the numerous pragmatic problem-solving skills make this a superlative guide that will be helpful to those with BPD and clinical therapists who work with them."
—Library Journal

From the Publisher

11/01/2015
Coauthors Aguirre (psychiatry, Harvard Medical Sch.; Borderline Personality Disorder in Adolescents) and Galen (psychology, Harvard Medical Sch.; coauthor, Mindfulness for Borderline Personality Disorder) present a practical workbook for individuals diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and their therapists. The authors base their book on results from working with hundreds of young adults at Massachusetts's McLean Hospital. Their therapeutic treatment includes the use of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). DBT focuses on teaching skills to help people more effectively react to overwhelming emotions and challenges they may face in relationships, while CBT focuses on examining the relationships among thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Each chapter includes a succinct summation of a typical problem faced by someone with BPD, what the issue often looks like, skills and techniques that can be applied, and a brief checklist of questions for self-reflection. Wisely, the authors intentionally omit dealing with cases of suicide and self-injury, and they encourage anyone experiencing these thoughts to immediately contact their therapist or go to the nearest emergency room. They indicate that their skills with BPD disorder derive from the work of Dr. Marsha Linehan. VERDICT The emphasis on lay language and the numerous pragmatic problem-solving skills make this a superlative guide that will be helpful to those with BPD and clinical therapists who work with them.—Dale Farris, Groves, TX

Library Journal