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Mentalizing the Hard to Reach Client

An introduction to Mentalization-Based Treatment (MBT) theory & techniques for personality disorder treatment and beyond

with Edward Patzelt, PhD & Amie Roe, LCSW

Friday, November 10, 2023, 12-2pm ET, On Zoom, 2.0 CEUs for qualifying practitioners

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Clients with personality disorder often spend years struggling to access effective care, despite their best efforts. Even when engaged in treatment, attachment activation and subsequent interpersonal difficulties may make it difficult for therapy to alleviate their suffering in the way that both client and therapist intend. Recent advancements in our field have established effective new therapies with proven ability to reach clients with personality disorder — an often marginalized, overstigmatized, yet sizeable population in both outpatient and inpatient settings. Mentalization-Based Treatment (MBT) is an evidence based treatment for Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) with proven sustained relief of symptoms at 8 year follow up that has been adapated to treat Antisocial Personality Disorder, Narcissistic Personality Disorder, substance use, trauma, and eating disorders. It is a treatment that seeks to foster epistemic trust and a sense of personal relevance to patients who have historically felt misunderstood and unseen, and as such, has further utility in our quest to reach and provide relevant, meaningful care to those who hold other marginalized identities.

In this workshop, clinicians will gain a basic understanding of MBT theory and techniques, including how to become more aware of patients’ mentalizing difficulties and meaningfully intervene to assist patients in regaining this ability. Participants will explore the potential utility of MBT techniques as meaningful methods of fostering epistemic trust with individuals who have experienced marginalization on the basis of gender, racial, sexual, or other identities.

Participants may enroll for this workshop as a stand alone or in addition to the 12/8/23 (12-2pm ET) workshop Group Treatment for Personality Disorders, an experiential workshop exploring the application of MBT principles and techniques in a group setting.

At the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

1. Define mentalization

2. Identify at least one pre-mentalizing mode in clinical practice

3. Make use of a “not knowing” stance in clinical practice

4. Explain the role of epistemic trust in facilitating social learning in therapy

Edward Patzelt, PhD is a psychologist in private practice helping clients, couples, and families in 40 states. He has received training in Mentalization-based treatment since 2016 when he was a doctoral candidate at Harvard University and predoctoral trainee at McLean Hospital. Currently, he participates in supervision and training through the Anna Freud Centre and McLean Hospital with a specific focus on MBT for personality disorders and MBT for couples and families.

Amie Roe, LCSW is a psychotherapist in private practice serving individuals in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, California, and Florida. She is a 2015 graduate of WTCI’s postgraduate training program and has studied and received supervision in Mentalization-Based Treatment (MBT) since 2021 through McLean Hospital and the Anna Freud Centre.