Finding the Right Type of Treatment For You

It’s not easy to live with a borderline personality disorder. Learning to balance your highs and lows in search of an even keel feels like an impossible task. Challenging your automatic thoughts is an incredible undertaking. Attempting to navigate through BPD on your own is daunting. It’s best to seek support from qualified professionals but it’s also hard to know where to look. How can you find the right type of treatment for you?

There are so many types of treatment facilities and levels of care that it gets overwhelming to figure out which is the best for your situation. Mental health treatment is not a one-way street or one-size-fits-all solution. The right solution for someone else might not be a great fit for you. Having a basic understanding of the treatment options available can help you make a more informed decision.

Mental Health Treatment Programs

Mental health treatment programs offer three main levels of care: residential treatment, day treatment, and outpatient programs. These three treatment program options provide varying numbers of program hours, types of therapy, amounts of support, and more. Finding the right type of treatment for you starts with determining which level of care you need.

If you’ve never received treatment for your borderline personality disorder before you might want more support. Residential treatment would be a great choice for you. If you’re familiar with treatment looking for more of an ongoing but less intensive option, day treatment or outpatient might be a better solution.

What does each type of treatment program offer?

Residential Treatment

Residential treatment is a full-time treatment program that offers the highest level of care. Sometimes your borderline personality disorder negatively impacts every area of your life. BPD can damage your work or social life, relationships with your family or friends, and even your relationship with yourself. Residential treatment allows you to step back from your everyday environment and spend time in a safe and supportive space to focus on your health.

Residential treatment programs fully immerse you in a treatment setting geared towards your well-being. You’re surrounded by other women who understand your struggles and are working through their own. You received personalized, individual care through therapy, groups, activities, and more. If you find your borderline personality disorder is making it difficult to function in daily life, residential treatment is a great place to start.

Day Treatment

Day treatment is an alternative approach to residential treatment, offering the same high level of care without the residential component. You attend your treatment program during the day then return home or to an offsite sober living home. Day treatment programs provide structure and support through individual counseling, group therapy, and other offerings depending on the particular facility.

Some people attend day treatment when they find that residential care is cost-prohibitive. Others don’t need the 24-hour support of a residential treatment program. Day treatment also serves as a transitional step down from a residential program. You receive similar full-time care during the day then return to your residence once programming is over in the evenings.

Outpatient Programs

Not everyone has the time or ability to commit to a full-time program like residential or day treatment. Outpatient programs allow those with existing responsibilities and busy schedules during the day to still receive the help and support they need. Most outpatient programs are adaptable and customizable, providing you with the perfect program for your situation.

Outpatient programs fit the needs of a wide variety of people. Some attend outpatient as the final part of a comprehensive treatment program following residential and day treatment. Others cannot fulfill the full-time schedule that residential, or day treatment requires. They need treatment with flexibility and outpatient programs fit their needs perfectly.

Despite the fewer program hours during the week, outpatient treatment still provides a high level of care. You receive the same individualized approach and focused support while still maintaining your current responsibilities. Outpatient treatment ensures that everyone who needs the support of a treatment program receives it, regardless of their schedule.

Therapy Modalities

Within each level of treatment, facilities also offer you a variety of therapies. Just as different people benefit from different levels of care, different people benefit from different approaches to therapy. Your individualized treatment program contains the therapeutic approaches that best suit your needs. Some examples of different therapies include dialectical behavior therapy, cognitive behavior therapy, and more.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy

Dialectical behavior therapy is the most common approach to treating women with borderline personality disorder. If you’ve gone through BPD treatment before you’re likely familiar with the DBT approach. It’s an effective therapeutic modality when working with high-risk individuals who battle with intense psychological struggles. DBT equips you with skills and techniques that help you manage your symptoms of BPD and reach a place of well-being.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive behavioral therapy is a classic therapeutic approach that helps millions of people each year. It operates on the understanding that your thoughts affect your behaviors. Harmful behaviors are a result of negative thoughts. Therapists use CBT to help you catch and shift these negative thought patterns which in turn changes your harmful behaviors.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

Acceptance and commitment therapy encourages you to develop mindfulness skills that allow for greater flexibility in your thinking and behavior. You can also use ACT to guide behavioral changes by incorporating values. Emotional fluctuations are a part of life and something you must learn to adapt to if you want to experience relief from BPD. ACT equips you with the skills to manage these highs and lows you inevitably experience.

Choosing the Right Type of Treatment

Now that you understand a bit more about the levels of care and types of therapy available, how do you go about finding the right type of treatment for you? You might have an idea of which program could be a good fit for you, but you can also reach out for some assistance in making your decision.

Clearview Women’s Center assists women in finding the right type of treatment every day. We understand that every individual has a unique situation they’re living through. We’ll work with you to connect you with the level of care and types of therapies that are the best fit for you.

You don’t have to grapple with making these decisions alone. Reach out to us today and one of our admissions counselors can walk you through the process. Whether you’re seeking help for the first time or you’ve attended treatment before, we can fit you with a program that is right for you.