Advanced training in personality disorders - psychology disorder personality

Introduction and objectives

Specializing in clinical work with personality disorders requires a solid theoretical foundation, refined technical skills, and supervised practical training. This advanced program is designed to help you integrate diagnosis, case formulation, and evidence-based intervention in order to address the clinical complexity, risk, and frequent comorbidity in this field. Upon completion, you will be able to design individualized treatment plans, coordinate with interdisciplinary teams, and rigorously evaluate outcomes, while keeping in mind ethical, cultural, and gender considerations that impact the therapeutic process.

Who is it for?

It is intended for professionals and advanced students who seek to deepen and certify specific competencies in this clinical area. If you identify with any of the following profiles, you will find a relevant and challenging training path.

• Clinical and health psychologists who wish to specialize in assessment and intervention.
• Psychiatrists and residents interested in integrating psychotherapy and psychopharmacology with a personality-focused approach.
• Occupational therapists, clinical social workers, and mental health professionals working in community settings.
• Coordinators of acute services, day hospitals, or psychosocial rehabilitation seeking management protocols and continuity-of-care strategies.
• Teachers and clinical supervisors who require didactic frameworks and competency assessment tools.

Competencies you will develop

The pathway combines theory, technical training, and deliberate practice. Upon completing the modules, you will be able to:

• Conduct comprehensive assessments: clinical interview, standardized tests, and outcome measures.
• Establish clear differential diagnoses and formulate functional hypotheses focused on mechanisms.
• Design and apply evidence-based interventions, adjusted to the level of motivation and risk.
• Manage crises, self-harming behaviors, and suicide risk with validated protocols and networked care.
• Work on the therapeutic alliance, mentalization, and therapeutic boundaries with a focus on safety.
• Adapt treatment to cultural diversity, gender perspective, and the life cycle.
• Evaluate processes and outcomes to make informed clinical decisions.

Program and key contents

Diagnostic framework and assessment

Categorical and dimensional models are reviewed, their relation to current research, and their clinical implications. You will learn to integrate multiple sources of information and to select instruments appropriate to the context.

• Current classifications: DSM-5-TR criteria, the alternative dimensional model, and correspondences with ICD-11.
• Interviews and questionnaires: SCID-5-PD, IPDE, PID-5, MMPI-2-RF, and PAI, among others.
• Measures of functioning and severity: levels of impairment, social performance, life goals.
• Risk assessment: self-injury, suicide, violence, and substance use.
• Assessment of resources: strengths, support networks, and protective factors.

The focus is on building a robust clinical picture, avoiding reductionist labels, and aiming for utility in intervention.

Case formulation and differential diagnosis

Beyond the diagnostic label, work is done with individualized formulations that articulate developmental history, relational patterns, core traits, schemas, and coping styles. You will practice identifying comorbidities with mood disorders, anxiety, complex trauma, ADHD, and substance use, as well as distinguishing between personality traits and situational or medical manifestations. The hypothesis of maintaining mechanisms and the prioritization of therapeutic goals are emphasized.

Evidence-based interventions

Therapeutic frameworks with documented efficacy are presented and micro-skills are practiced to increase technical competence in difficult situations.

• Training in emotional regulation skills and distress tolerance, with structuring of the environment and contingency management.
• Transference-focused psychotherapy to map relational configurations and work on interpersonal patterns in session.
• Mentalization-based therapy to strengthen reflective capacity, contain impulsivity, and improve perspective-taking of one’s own and others’ mental states.
• Schema therapy to identify modes, unmet needs, and apply experiential techniques for change.
• Integrative strategies in context: coordination with psychiatry, family psychoeducation, and safety planning.

You will learn to select and sequence techniques according to severity level, environmental stability, and treatment course, as well as to measure progress and adjust the plan.

Comorbidity, risk and crisis

Protocols for assessment and management in high-risk situations are addressed, incorporating collaborative safety plans, identification of triggers, relapse prevention, and interinstitutional coordination. Practical aspects are worked on: treatment agreements, boundaries, hospitalization criteria, and communication with support networks. Management of comorbid substance use and its impact on adherence is also covered.

Ethical, cultural and gender perspective

Frameworks are integrated to avoid stigmatization, promote non-pathologizing language, and adapt interventions to cultural diversity, sexual orientation, and experiences of discrimination. Emphasis is placed on informed consent, confidentiality in risk contexts, and supervision as an ethical safeguard.

Methodology, evaluation and supervision

Learning combines applied seminars with case studies, role-play, and deliberate practice. You will have competency rubrics, structured feedback, and reflection sessions on the therapeutic process. Evaluation includes formulation assignments, clinical vignettes with key decisions, analysis of recordings (when possible), and objective knowledge tests. Supervision is conceived as a safety space to refine micro-skills, review countertransference, and align interventions with treatment goals. Professional self-care and prevention of compassion fatigue are promoted.

Requirements, duration and format

Access requires prior training in mental health and basic clinical experience. The structure is flexible to accommodate professional practice.

• Theoretical hours and practical workshops distributed in sequential modules.
• Supervised practicum with review of real or simulated cases.
• Online, in-person, or blended modality, with synchronous and asynchronous activities.
• Periodic assessments and a final clinical integration project.

Career opportunities and accreditation

The specialization enhances your profile for mental health units, acute care services, community care, private practice, and psychosocial rehabilitation programs. You will be able to lead clinical teams, implement evidence-based protocols, and participate in training residents or therapists in training. The certification attests to specific competencies and adds value to recertification processes or service tenders, depending on your region’s regulatory context.

Resources and materials

• Interview guides and roadmaps for case formulation.
• Risk assessment protocols and safety plan templates.
• Skills exercise workbooks for patients and family psychoeducation.
• Annotated bibliography and access to seminars with invited experts.
• Process and outcome indicators for data-informed practice.

Tips for choosing a quality program

• Instructors with accredited clinical experience and publications in the field.
• Curriculum that combines diagnosis, formulation, and intervention with supervised practice.
• Use of outcome measures and clear competency assessment standards.
• Ethical, culturally sensitive, and stigma-free approach.
• Options for mentorship, ongoing supervision, and a community of practice.

Frequently asked questions

Is previous clinical experience necessary?

Basic practice in clinical interviewing and psychopathology is recommended. The initial modules level concepts and techniques, and supervision supports individual progress.

What weekly workload does it involve?

It will depend on the format, but it usually includes seminar hours, independent study, skills practice, and supervision. Planning considers reasonable time commitments for working professionals.

How is scientific evidence integrated into practice?

Each module incorporates key readings, case discussion, and use of outcome measures. Data-informed decision-making is promoted, without losing the flexibility needed for each person’s uniqueness.

Are interventions addressed in high-complexity contexts?

Yes. Crisis scenarios, coordination with health and social networks, and work with families and caregivers are included, prioritizing safety and continuity of care.

Closing

Deepening in this area implies a commitment to clinical excellence and respect for the dignity of people. With rigorous training, quality supervision, and deliberate practice, it is possible to offer safer, more effective treatments tailored to each case’s needs, while also taking care of the sustainability of one’s professional practice.