How to Find a BPD Therapist in Denver

To find a BPD therapist, it can be helpful to first understand some background information about borderline personality disorder, BPD symptoms, and how BPD is treated. This guide will provide you the basics on BPD, BPD treatment, and prepare you to find a qualified BPD therapist.

What Is a Borderline Personality Disorder Specialist?

A borderline personality disorder specialist is a licensed therapist with advanced, specific training in treating BPD — most often in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), the only treatment with strong research support for the disorder. Unlike a general therapist, a BPD specialist works inside a structured, evidence-based model and, ideally, a weekly consultation team — so they can handle the intense interpersonal patterns BPD brings into the therapy room rather than getting overwhelmed by them. At Front Range Treatment Center, our borderline personality disorder specialists deliver comprehensive DBT through a DBT-Linehan Board Certified program — in person across the Denver metro and online throughout Colorado.

What is borderline personality disorder?

Borderline personality disorder is a mental health diagnosis used by mental health professionals (such as psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and various other kinds of therapists and counselors).

BPD belongs to the group of disorders known as personality disorders. Personality disorders are characterized by set patterns of thinking and behaving which can be difficult to change. According to the Mayo clinic, “you may not realize that you have a personality disorder because your way of thinking and behaving seems natural to you.”

The defining feature of BPD is emotional dysregulation. This means people with BPD tends to feel their emotions more strongly than most people, and have a difficult time calming down.

What are the symptoms of BPD?

The symptoms of borderline personality disorder are defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, now in its 5th edition. The symptoms include the following:

• Frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment
• Unstable personal relationships that alternate between idealization and devaluation
• Distorted and unstable self-image
• Impulsive behaviors (such as excessive spending, unsafe sex, substance abuse or reckless driving)
• Self-harming behavior (such as suicidal threats or attempts)
• Periods of intense depressed mood, irritability or anxiety
• Chronic feelings of boredom or emptiness.
• Inappropriate, intense or uncontrollable anger (sometimes followed by shame and guilt).
• Dissociation (not remembering events, or feeling outside oneself)
• Stress-related paranoia

Learn more about the symptoms of borderline personality disorder from the National Institute of Mental Health.

Can someone with BPD “get better”?

Absolutely. The research is clear: Borderline personality disorder is very amenable to treatment. However, life-changing therapy requires a major commitment. Progress can be slow and difficult at times, and requires work over many months, and possibly years.

In addition, many therapists are either not familiar with how to treat BPD, or have a difficult time working with patients that have BPD. For example, sometimes people with BPD push their therapists away, or resist engaging with treatment. Sometimes, people with BPD go from therapist to therapist without finding relief, and they may give up on the idea that therapy can help them.

BPD therapists have special training in how to deal with these situations. But, working with clients with borderline personality disorder requires special training, a specific disposition, and a great dedication to working with this unique disorder.

How is someone diagnosed with BPD?

Some people who struggle with BPD, or BPD traits, are relieved when they discover the diagnosis of borderline personality disorder. After struggling in different areas for so many years, a diagnosis can explain so much.

It can also offer great hope, because with a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder the path to recover and growth becomes clear. That path may be difficult, but the hope for a build life is there.

A provisional diagnosis of borderline personality disorder can often be provided in the first session or two. It is based upon an assessment of current functioning, as well as a detailed history. Your BPD therapist will collect information on history and symptoms in the following domains:

• Current symptoms
• Emotional functioning
• Relationship history
• Occupational and academic history
• Medical history
• Developmental (childhood) history

There can also be a stigma attached to a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder, both outside and inside the mental health community. This stigma is based on misconceptions, stereotypes, and outdated ideas about borderline personalty disorder. BPD therapists are familiar with the stigma, misinformation, and struggles that result from being diagnosed with BPD.

How do you “get” BPD?

There has historically been great confusion about the origins of borderline personality disorder, and the theories have changed and developed over time.

According to current research (as summarized by Harvard Medical School), heritable traits contribute about 70% of your chances of being diagnosed with BPD. These traits are often called temperament- those aspects of your personality that you are born with, and result from genetic and biological factors we cannot change. These traits also help determine how people treat you, from birth on. For example, demanding or difficult to soothe babies are more likely to result in parents who sometimes get stressed, angry and withdraw. This affects the care they receive.

This interaction between the personality traits we are born with and the environment we live in produces our whole personality. If something goes awry, this interaction can result in personality related difficulties that we call personality disorders.

Borderline personality disorder is one such personality disorder. According to Marsha Linehan’s biosocial developmental model of borderline personality disorder, BPD results from an interaction between certain biologically determined personality traits (such as heightened reactivity to emotional states) and environmental factors (most commonly, certain parenting styles). Learn more here.

So, how do you “get? BPD? The short answer is you may develop borderline personality disorder if you are born with an emotional sensitivity (70% contribution) and/or grow up in a certain environment that does not nurture your emotional growth.

What is the best treatment for borderline personality disorder?

The best treatment for BPD is dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). According to the American Psychological Association’s Society of Clinical Psychology, DBT is the only treatment for BPD with strong research support.

There are several other types of therapy for BPD with modest or controversial levels of research support. This means they may work for some people, but they may be less likely to work. This does not mean they won’t be effective in treating BPD, and an experienced BPD therapist dedicated to a single form of therapy may become very effective at treating BPD with their chosen method.

What is Dialectical Behavior Therapy?

The best BPD treatment is DBT, so many mental health professionals who call them BPD therapists are DBT therapists. But what exactly is DBT?

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a treatment designed for BPD (and now known to be helpful for other issues as well). It was created because BPD was so difficult to treat, and the treatments we used to have just weren’t every effective.

Basically, people with borderline personality disorder feel things very intensely. Persons with BPD process emotional information differently, and older types of therapy did not effectively take this into account. The result was that people with BPD weren’t getting the help they needed, and they tended to not stay in therapy very long.

DBT was created from the ground up to address the unique issues that arise for people with BPD, and for therapists who specialize in BPD. DBT therapists work differently then other therapists in many ways, and they are experts in BPD. The result is therapy that tends to be highly effective, though demanding on both therapist and client. It requires both parties to work hard, and be dedicated to overcoming BPD.

In DBT, clients attend weekly “skills classes” where they learn new ways of managing their emotions, tolerating distress, building healthy relationships, and becoming more mindful. Clients also attend weekly individual therapy sessions, where they practice applying those skills to the inquire situations of their lives. In addition, clients have access to phone coaching. With DBT phone coaching, clients can reach their therapist in-between sessions for on-the-moment skills coaching.

DBT therapists are also supposed to be part of a DBT consultation team. This is a weekly opportunity for DBT therapists to consult with one other as a team of expert. When you work with a DBT therapist, you have access to the expertise of an entire team of BPD specialists.

How do you find a BPD therapist?

When finding a BPD therapist we suggest looking for a therapist with the following qualities:

• Intensively trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (search here), and/or certified by the DBT-Linehan Board of Certification.
• Part of a comprehensive DBT program
• Part of a DBT consultation team
• Dedicated to evidence based treatment

When evaluating a BPD therapist, ask about each of the above. Be wary of therapists using non-evidence based treatments, therapists who seem to specialize in everything, and therapists without training in DBT. There are many different kinds of counseling, and most are not very helpful for BPD.

The best BPD treatment is called Dialectical Behavior Therapy.

Most DBT programs are outpatient programs. This mean you see your therapist at their office. Sometimes inpatient programs offer DBT as well, and this can be very helpful if someone with BPD ends up in the hospital after a mental health crises. However, DBT providers usually try to keep their patients with BPD out of the hospital, suggesting hospitalization only as a last result.

Why Is It So Hard to Find a BPD Therapist?

While many therapists are willing to help persons with Borderline personality disorder, for the greatest chance of success you should find a dedicated BPD therapist (who specializes in the disorder, and in the best treatment for BPD, Dialectical Behavior Therapy). BPD is difficult to treat, and it best treated by therapists who spend at least half their professional time working with people who have borderline personality disorder.

Sometimes, persons with BPD are forced to go from therapist to therapist as they search for effective treatment. Often, they give up on the idea of therapy all together.

Other times, therapists who are not prepared for working with those with borderline personality disorder can struggle, make ineffective treatment choices, and suffer burnout. Treating BPD requires special preparation for the therapist, so they are able to work with this difficult condition.

The Risks of Working With a Non-Specialist

When someone with BPD sees a therapist who isn’t trained in the disorder, a few patterns show up again and again:

• Misdiagnosis. BPD shares symptoms with bipolar disorder, depression, PTSD, and ADHD. Without specific training, clinicians often land on a more familiar diagnosis — and the treatment for bipolar disorder is very different from the treatment for BPD.
• Treatment that backfires. Some approaches can make BPD worse if applied without an understanding of the condition. Exploring childhood trauma before building distress-tolerance skills, for example, can destabilize someone who already struggles to regulate emotion.
• Burnout and abrupt termination. BPD’s intense interpersonal patterns play out in the therapy relationship itself. Without training and a consultation team for support, therapists can get overwhelmed and refer the client out — reinforcing the painful belief that they’re “too much.”
• Reinforcing the very patterns that hurt. A therapist who doesn’t understand BPD can accidentally feed reassurance-seeking with excessive reassurance, or dodge hard topics to avoid escalation.

This is why specialization matters so much. A comprehensive, certified DBT program with an active consultation team is built specifically to avoid these traps.

Beyond DBT: Other Evidence-Based Options

DBT has the strongest and most extensive research base for BPD, but it isn’t the only evidence-based option. Mentalization-Based Treatment (MBT), Transference-Focused Psychotherapy (TFP), and Schema Therapy all have research support and can be a good fit — especially when DBT isn’t available or doesn’t match your needs. If you’ve tried DBT and it wasn’t right for you, these are legitimate alternatives worth asking about. For most people seeking BPD treatment, though, starting with a comprehensive DBT evaluation is the most direct path.

The Client-Therapist Relationship In BPD Treatment

In BPD treatment, the client-therapist relationship is very important. The process of building trust with the client is vital to the success of treatment. You should be very comfortable with your BPD therapist, and feel comfortable being honest with them about your struggles. It can also be a big relief when you realize you have found a therapist that really understands BPD, and the the unique struggles people with BPD face.

How do I Motivate My Family Member with BPD to Seek Help?

BPD treatment is always more effective when your family can be included. If you believe your family member is suffering form BPD it can be helpful for you to understand the disorder and the treatments available.

Therapists who specialize in BPD are usually also experienced in working with the family members of person who have BPD. They can help you learn how to relate to your family member, and possibly convince them to seek treatment. They can also offer you support and education which can help you deal with your family member more effectively.

If you loved one with BPD is already in therapy, it might be possible to include you in treatment. This is especially important for parents of younger person with BPD or BPD like symptoms, and can be a huge help for spouses. One common way we include family members in treatment is through a DBT Friends and Family Group. In these groups, family members learn abut BPD, and learn DBT skills they can use when interacting with their loved one. They also learn how to support their loved one’s treatment.

If I’m not yet ready to make an appointment, where can I learn more about BPD treatment?

If you’re not ready to make an appointment with a BPD therapist, it can be very helpful to first learn about BPD and how it’s treated. Here are some helpful resources to get you started:

• Borderline Personality Disorder (National Institute of Mental Health)
• Borderline Personality Disorder Treatment and Management (National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health, UK)
• What is DBT? (Behavior Tech)
• Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (WebMD)
• Fact Sheet: DBT (Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy)

Getting Started With BPD Treatment in Denver

At Front Range Treatment Center, BPD treatment is our core specialty. We’re a DBT-Linehan Board Certified program — one of the few in Colorado — delivering all four modes of comprehensive DBT with a consultation team that meets weekly. If you’re looking for a BPD therapist in the Denver metro, our BPD treatment program is the place to start, and a free consultation is a low-pressure first step.

BPD rarely travels alone. It commonly overlaps with depression, chronic anxiety, and sometimes OCD, and the emotional ups and downs that come with it are often what brings people in first. We treat those conditions alongside BPD — whether through our depression treatment and anxiety treatment programs, OCD treatment with ERP, or integrated DBT care that addresses the whole picture.

Related Reading

• How to Find a DBT Therapist in Denver
• Comprehensive DBT vs. DBT-Informed: How to Choose
• The Benefits of DBT for BPD
• How to Help Someone With BPD Without Losing Yourself