Functions of the Treatment Contract in TFP.

The use of a verbal or written contract has been employed in many different modalities of treatment as a means of establishing the expectations and parameters of treatment. Traditionally, the contract is seen as serving a somewhat utilitarian purpose: setting up the practical conditions of treatment and providing a containing frame for the patient. Contracts, however, can extend to establishing agreed-upon goals of treatment, anticipating obstacles that may arise in the treatment and clarifying how they will be dealt with should they arise, and clearly defining the roles of the patient and therapist in a way that aids the exploratory process once the treatment has begun.

Behavioral activation in TFP: The role of the treatment contract in transference-focused psychotherapy.

Transference-focused psychotherapy (TFP) is a manualized evidence-based treatment for borderline and other severe personality disorders that is based on psychoanalytic object relations theory. Similar to other psychodynamic psychotherapies, TFP focuses on changing psychological structures, but also focuses on symptom and behavioral change, particularly the importance of being active (e.g.

The design and methods of the aging successfully with pain study.

Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is widespread among older adults (≥ 65 years) and is often treated inadequately. With a rapidly growing aging population, CLBP will increase and so will the demand for treatment. We believe that mind-body therapies can help to meet this demand.

[Some factors affecting treatment outcome in a randomized clinical trial of borderline patients].

At the Personality Disorders Institute we have been investigating the efficacy of Transference-Focused Psychotherapy (TFP), a twice weekly manualized psychodynamic psychotherapy for borderline personality disorder compared to Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Supportive Psychotherapy (SP) in a randomized clinical trial of 90 borderline patients. We will first present some developmental foundations of BPD, followed by a discussion of the theoretical foundations of TFP. We will then discuss patient characteristics that have an impact on outcome.

Meeting expectations: the pilot evaluation of the Solihull Approach Parenting Group.

We have developed a new parenting group based on National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines for parenting groups for conduct disorder and the Solihull Approach, a multi-agency approach to improve the parent-child relationship and behaviour management. Our aims were to create a parenting group that was theoretically coherent, of proven effectiveness, time efficient, for universal through to more complex problems, for parents of children from birth to 18 years, accessible to parents with literacy difficulties, able to be run by community practitioners such as health visitors and school nurses, and supported by a cost-effective and uncomplicated staff training model. This article describes the development of the Solihull Approach Parenting Group and the results of its first large-scale pilot evaluation.

Targeted home visiting intervention: the impact on mother-infant relationships.

This paper reviews and reflects on six papers, which describe various early home visiting interventions that resulted in positive outcomes, particularly in relation to the mother-infant relationship. The papers were published in a special issue of the Infant Mental Health Journal in 2006. We provide a brief overview of each paper, highlighting the conclusions drawn across the six papers.

[Transference focused psychotherapy].

Transference focused psychotherapy is a version of psychodynamic psychotherapy that is modified and specialized for patients with borderline personality disorder. It is based on psychoanalytic principles with an emphasis on object relations theory. A fundamental concept in this model is that the organization of an individual's psyche is structured around internalized versions of interpersonal relations.