Personality Disorders Certificate Course: Advanced Diagnosis, Treatment & Management

CPD

Handouts

Speaker

Gregory Lester, PhD Related seminars and products

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Gregory W. Lester, Ph.D., is a clinical, consulting, and research psychologist with practices in Colorado and Texas. Dr. Lester has presented over 2,000 personality disorders trainings to over 200,000 professionals in every major city in the United States, Canada, and Australia. In his nearly 40 years of clinical practice, Dr. Lester has treated over 1,000 personality disorder cases and has performed psychological evaluations on over 2,500 individuals.

Dr. Lester has served on the graduate faculty of The University of St. Thomas and as a special consultant to The United States Department of Justice. Dr. Lester’s office served as one of the original research sites for the DSM-5® revision of the personality disorders section where he collaborated with Emory University, the New York State Psychiatric Group, The University of Missouri, The University of Kentucky, and the late Dr. Robert Spitzer, chairman of the DSM-3 committee.

Dr. Lester is a member of the American Psychological Association, the Texas Psychological Association, and the Colorado Psychological Association. He is the author of nine books, including Power with People, a manual of interpersonal effectiveness, Shrunken Heads, an irreverent memoir of his graduate school training, and Diagnosis, Treatment, and Management of Personality Disorders, which is the largest-selling front-line clinical manual on diagnosing, treating, and managing personality disorders.

Dr. Lester’s research and articles have appeared in publications including The Journal of the American Medical Association, The Western Journal of Medicine, The Yearbook of Family Practice, The Journal of Behavioral Therapy, The Journal of Marriage and Family Therapy, The Handbook of Depression, Transactional Analysis Journal, Living Word Magazine, The Priest Magazine, and The Houston Lawyer.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Dr. Gregory Lester maintains a private practice. He is a consultant for Improvement Research Group. He is a published author and receives royalties. Dr. Lester receives a speaking honorarium, recording royalties, and a consulting fee from PESI, Inc. He has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Dr. Gregory Lester is a member of the American Psychological Association, the Texas Psychological Association, and Colorado Psychological Association.

Objectives

1. Communicate the difference between personality disorder and psychiatric disorder as it relates to clinical treatment.
2. Articulate the underlying structure of disordered personality and its clinical implications.
3. Assess individuals with personality disorders to clinically distinguish and put to practical use in session.
4. Communicate why diagnosis is the critical element to effective clinical treatment for clients with personality disorders.
5. Categorize different types of personality disorders to accurately identify and inform clinical treatment interventions.
6. Evaluate significant problems typically created by clients with personality disorders and utilize clinical strategies for symptom management.
7. Implement the framework for successful treatment and management of clients with personality disorders.
8. Differentiate intervention models as they relate to treatment outcomes.
9. Demonstrate the most effective aspect of the intervention models to improve client level of functioning.
10. Determine effective targeted interventions to improve treatment outcomes with personality disordered clients.
11. Implement empirically validated treatment interventions for clients with personality disorders.
12. Appraise the management models of interventions for clients with personality disorders.
13. Assess common co-occurring conditions in relation to assessment and treatment planning.
14. Determine clinical interventions for reduction of self-harm behaviors.
15. Recommend interventions to manage suicide risk in clients with personality disorders.
16. Differentiate personality disorders in children and adolescents to inform the clinician’s choice of treatment interventions.
17. Adapt treatment strategies for working with personality disorders in couples and familtherapy.
18. Summarize clinical strategies for working with the significant others of individuals with personality disorders.

Outline

The Essentials of Advanced Assessment & Treatment Effectiveness: Fill in the missing pieces and create a treatment plan that works

• The Distinction “Personality Disorder”
  • Why traditional models of mental health don’t fit
  • “Symptomatic” conditions vs. “characteristic” conditions
  • The underlying structure of disordered personality
  • What makes a personality disorder a chronic condition?
  • Why personality disordered people think “it’s everybody else”
  • Why “normal” talking with personality disordered people is ineffective
• The Effects of a Personality Disorder
  • How personality disordered people create difficulties for themselves and others
  • The difference in life pattern between “normal” and “disordered” personality
  • How to predict the behavior of individuals with personality disorders
  • The type of chaos created by
    • Cluster A personalities
      • Paranoid Personality Disorder
      • Schizoid Personality Disorder
      • Schizotypal Personality Disorder
    • Cluster B personalities
      • Antisocial Personality Disorder
      • Borderline Personality Disorder
      • Histrionic Personality Disorder
      • Narcissistic Personality Disorder
    • Cluster C personalities
      • Avoidant Personality Disorder
      • Dependent Personality Disorder
      • Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder
• Assessment and Diagnosis of Personality Disorder
  • Why diagnosis is EVERYTHING in treatment of personality disorders
  • 5 steps to identify and diagnose a personality disorder
    • Effective, brief, and rapid identification
    • Tests and clinical instruments
• Why the Etiology of Personality Disorders Matters in Treatment
  • The single biggest mistake clinicians make regarding etiology
  • Why misunderstanding etiology will disable interventions
  • What causes personality disorders - the definitive conclusion
• Treating vs. Managing Personality Disorders
  • Predicting “treatability” of a personality disordered client
  • Critical preparation to determine the proper intervention approach
  • How to choose an intervention approach
  • The structure that makes all interventions effective
    • Two common techniques
  • Develop effective treatment goals for Cluster A, B, and C personalities

Advanced and Empirically Validated Intervention Approaches in Action: A step-by-step plan to implement the most appropriate treatment strategy

• Select Intervention Based on “Treatability” Level of Client
  • Optimal functioning
    • Mentalization-Based Treatment
    • Transference-Focused Psychotherapy
    • Interpersonal Reconstructive Psychotherapy
    • Object Relations Developmental Psychotherapy
  • Adequate functioning
    • Dialectical Behavior Therapy
    • Schema-Based Treatment
    • Personality-Guided Psychotherapy
  • Targeted behavior improvement
    • Tactical Therapy
    • Strategic Therapy
    • Structural Therapy
  • Limitations and risks of the psychotherapeutic approaches
• 4-Step Approach to Effective Personality Disorder Treatment
  • Engage the treatment relationship
  • Apply two fundamental treatment techniques
  • Determine category of treatment
  • Utilize approach based on client’s diagnosis and treatment goals
• 3-Step Approach to Effective Personality Disorder Management
  • Foundation to inhibit disordered behavior
  • Implement contingency
  • Utilize approach specific to client’s diagnosis
• 3 Must-Have Intervention Techniques for Personality Disorders
  • Behavioral Chain Analysis
  • Mentalizing interpretations
  • Problem-solving process confrontations

Special Issues with Personality Disorders

• Interventions for Co-occurring Conditions
  • Typical co-occurring disorders for the 10 subtypes
  • Sequencing interventions for co-occurring conditions
  • Medication do’s and don’ts with personality disorders

• Crisis Management: Self-Harm and Suicide Interventions
  • Fundamental misunderstandings
  • Physiological effects and motivations
  • Interventions to reduce or eliminate self-harm
  • Harvard’s three distinctions of suicidality
  • Interventions for chronic suicidal ideation
  • Treatment approaches for acute suicidality
• Unique Considerations
  • Personality disorders in children and adolescents
    • Intervention modifications
  • Couples and family therapy interventions
    • Special procedures for interventions
  • Working with significant others of a personality disordered individual
    • Methods to help them stay out of difficulties
    • Coach for effective management
    • Self-care for significant others

Target Audience

• Psychologists
• Counselors
• Social Workers
• Addiction Counselors
• Marriage & Family Therapists
• Psychotherapists
• Case Managers
• Nurses
• Other Mental Health Professionals

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