Psychotherapists' response to borderline personality disorder: a core conflictual relationship theme analysis

This study examined therapists' emotional and cognitive responses to patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) versus patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). Therapists' narratives (N=80) were elicited using the Relationship Anecdotes Paradigm interview method and then scored according to the core conflictual relationship theme-Leipzig/Ulm method (CCRT-LU; Albani et al., 2002). The emotional valences of therapists' responses were significantly more negative toward patients with BPD. Therapists differentially experienced patients with BPD as typically withdrawing and patients with MDD as attending within sessions. Therapists felt less satisfied in their therapeutic role with BPD despite a consistent wish to help patients. Findings support the utility of the CCRT-LU method in investigating therapist relational experiences and underscore the challenges for BPD treatment.