Modifying therapeutic homework for patients with personality disorders

Generalizing therapeutic gains made during therapy sessions to patients' daily lives is the most fundamental goal of psychotherapy. Assigning between-session homework is an efficient method to teach new skills and to generalize those skills to the patient's natural environment. Given the persistent, chronic, and pervasive nature of the problems presented by the individual with a personality disorder, homework is not merely recommended but is an important and essential part of the therapeutic work. This article discusses modifying homework for personality-disordered patients in the context of a literature review and case examples from the various Personality Disorder Clusters. Also offered are a number of techniques to overcome patient "resistance."