Research on psychotherapy supports practitioners’ longstanding belief that personality and relationship variables have more influence on treatment outcome than the therapist’s theoretical orientation or technical approach.  Accordingly, this clinically oriented workshop will address therapists of all persuasions who find themselves treating patients with paranoid, narcissistic, and self-defeating personality patterns – all of which require deviations from standard treatment approaches. Emphasizing the clinical value of conceptualizing personality in depth, Dr. McWilliams will recommend specific interventions influenced by appreciation of enactments, countertransference data, and attention to cultural differences. She will present her own clinical material and will invite workshop participants to share vignettes from their work.