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Reviews and Overviews
Published Online: 30 May 2024

Scorn Not Its Simplicity: Examining the Effectiveness of Simple Generalist Treatment for Personality Disorders

Publication: American Journal of Psychotherapy

Abstract

Treatment guidelines for personality disorders have typically recommended specialized psychotherapeutic interventions. In this review, the author suggests that an intervention’s effectiveness may be determined less by the specific method than by therapist competence, team culture, clinical process structure, and institutional context. The author argues that these elements determine variance in effectiveness between and within methods. Whereas initial studies of a specialized treatment may reflect the exceptional competencies of the treatment’s developers and early adopters, in daily clinical practice, therapists with an average level of skill may struggle with the theoretical and methodological complexities of these treatments, which can hinder genuine connection with patients. This interference may particularly affect treatment outcomes when therapists encounter the intense emotions and interpersonal hypersensitivity experienced by patients with personality disorders. Most therapists would benefit from a set of simple generalist principles that determine the context for their work and offer a framework for dealing with clinical challenges while enabling them to be true to themselves and use their previously learned competencies. The Guideline-Informed Treatment for Personality Disorders is an enhanced common-factors approach that summarizes the core principles of effective treatment and can be feasibly implemented by most therapists.

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Information & Authors

Information

Published In

Go to American Journal of Psychotherapy
Go to American Journal of Psychotherapy
American Journal of Psychotherapy

History

Received: 18 October 2023
Revision received: 27 December 2023
Accepted: 1 February 2024
Published online: 30 May 2024

Keywords

  1. personality disorders
  2. quality of care
  3. evidence-based treatment
  4. treatment issues
  5. adherence

Authors

Details

Joost Hutsebaut, Ph.D. [email protected]
Viersprong Institute for Studies on Personality Disorders, Bergen op Zoom, the Netherlands; Center of Research on Psychological Disorders and Somatic Diseases, Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, the Netherlands.

Notes

Send correspondence to Dr. Hutsebaut ([email protected]).

Competing Interests

The author reports no financial relationships with commercial interests.

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