personality disorder specialization

Many of my clients struggle in relationships with loved ones with trauma.  I understand personality disorders through an empathic lens, by which I mean that the personality structure of the individual serves to protect the individual from pain, and help that individual survive. I also understand that the behavior of traumatized people can be traumatizing for others (for children, for spouses, for family members) and moreover, that the relational trauma people with these disorders create can be difficult to see and understand.

Clients impacted by personality disordered individuals tend to suffer.  They have low self-esteem, high anxiety, difficulty understanding their own emotions, difficulty setting boundaries and advocating for themselves, difficulty giving and receiving healthy love.  It can be valuable to work with a therapist who has a knowledge of these disorders and how they manifest, as they result in people behaving in challenging ways that often require specific strategies and insight.

Creating an adult relationship with a personality disordered parent, for example, or attempting to co-parent with an ex-spouse with a personality disorder, all create ongoing patterns of pain and conflict that most people wish to avoid.  Using a blend of psychoeducation, therapy and skill-building (such as self-awareness, boundary work, and shame resilience) I seek to assist clients in creating healthier and calmer interactions with people in their life. 

I have repeatedly witnessed how healing it is for clients to learn the “why” behind their loved-one’s behavior, so that they can take that behavior less personally and learn to respond with greater intention and integrity, rather than reactivity.