Working Effectively with 'Personality Disorder' : Contemporary and Critical Approaches to Clinical and Organisational Practice

Presents a compelling case for re-thinking clinical services in more positive and holistic ways for people diagnosed with 'personality disorders' - individuals whose high levels of emotional distress can cause them to display behaviours that may be perceived as complex, challenging and detrimental to the therapeutic relationship.

The history of 'personality disorder' services is problematic to say the least. The very concept of 'personality disorder' is under heavy fire, services are often expensive and ineffective, and many service users report feeling that they have been lied to, stigmatised and excluded. Yet while there are inevitably challenges involved in working with a population that can be complex, demanding and destructive, creative networks of learning do exist - people who are striving to provide progressive, compassionate services for and with this client group. Working Effectively with 'Personality Disorder' shares this knowledge, articulating an alternative way of working that acknowledges the contemporary debate around diagnosis, reveals flawed assumptions underlying current approaches, and argues for services that work more positively, more holistically and with a wider, more socially focused agenda.