Personality Disorders are usually challenging for clinicians. Clients with this diagnosis often present high-risk behaviors, difficulties in self-regulation, impulsivity, and severe interpersonal relationships issues. Some clients, especially those with Borderline Personality Disorder, also present self-harming behaviors, suicidal ideation, and a risk and/or history of suicide attempts. Others, such as Antisocial Personality Disorder clients, present poor impulse control and aggressive reactions, which can be frightening for themselves and others, including clinicians. 

Given the challenges presented by personality disorders and the strong affect that unresolved trauma may mobilize in our clients, clinicians must be able to recognize relational and countertransference issues. Understanding these problems and how to manage them is crucial to avoid getting stuck during different moments of treatment, especially with clients with early traumatization. Clinicians working with Personality Disorders need to be very attentive to what gets triggered in themselves to be able to see beyond the defensive responses in both client and therapist. 

This workshop aims to help the participant understand Personality Disorders from the Adaptive Information Processing model perspective and how EMDR Therapy can help with some of the most difficult cases. Case conceptualization and target selection based on the different presentations will be addressed.