Sunday Morning Workshops
You have your choice of SIX workshops.
Attendance is limited - please sign up early.
You may register for these workshops (additional fee) on your registration form.
There are two free workshops for Lived Experience participants on Sunday morning, 9 November.
Mentalization Based Treatment (MBT) For Pathological Narcissism
Despite the growing cultural and empirical interest in narcissism and narcissistic personality disorder, therapists often feel confused and overwhelmed about how to help patients struggling with these problems. This 4-hour workshop introduces clinicians to a streamlined, common-sense treatment approach to treating these patients: mentalization-based treatment for pathological narcissism, or MBT-N. The workshop reviews the deficits in mentalizing associated with pathological narcissism, describes how to give the diagnosis of narcissism to patients, outlines how to structure therapy sessions, and offers step-by-step techniques about “what to do and say” when sitting with these patients.
Utilizing video illustrations and participant role-plays, the presenters explain how to address the most common clinical challenges associated with narcissism: disconnection from emotions; impairments in empathy; rigid thinking; monologues and intellectualization; unstable self-esteem; and tendencies to blame other people for disruptions in their relationships.
Dynamic Deconstructive Psychotherapy (DDP)
Robert Gregory, MD
Dynamic deconstructive psychotherapy (DDP) is an innovative treatment model for borderline personality disorder, addictions and suicidality. Combining elements of object relations theory, translational neuroscience, and deconstruction philosophy, treatment involves 12 months of weekly individual therapy sessions. Unique elements of this treatment approach include remediation of the emotion processing system, deconstruction of states of being, and development of a capacity for authentic relatedness through experiences within the client-therapist relationship. DDP has demonstrated consistently strong treatment effects through several clinical trials, and has been listed in the U.S. National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices and the American Psychiatric Association’s 2024 practice guideline for borderline personality disorder.
Cutting Down: 10 Session CBT For Nonsuicidal Self-Injury
Risk-taking and self-harming behaviors are highly prevalent among adolescents. Despite their well-known associations with suicidal behavior, functional impairment, and various forms of psychopathology, they often remain inadequately treated among adolescents. Barriers to effective intervention include limited resources within healthcare systems combined with the need for highly extensive trainings of psychotherapists that are associated with many specialized treatment programs.
This workshop will introduce participants to the Cutting Down Program (CDP), an evidence-based brief intervention (10-15 sessions) designed to empower adolescents in reducing risk-taking and self-harming behaviors by enhancing emotion regulation, challenging negative thought patterns and fostering healthier coping strategies. Participants will gain an understanding of the CDP's theoretical underpinnings, receive a comprehensive overview of the core interventions, and engage in practical exercises to apply selected techniques during the workshop.
Using Ambulatory Assessment to Study Personality Pathology in Daily Life
Aiden Wright PhD
Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry, University of Michigan
Ambulatory assessment (e.g., ecological momentary assessment, experience sampling methodology, daily diaries, passive sensing) is an increasingly popular technique for studying personality pathology because data are collected in the context of participants’ real life (e.g., real-life stressors, their actual romantic partner, on site at their job), near in time to when events are occurring, thereby increasing greater fidelity to actual events, and at various points along a process, allowing for modeling dynamic or fluctuating thoughts, feelings, behavior, physiology, and context. Despite the popularity of ambulatory assessment techniques, they remain challenging to implement well due to the complexity of study design. This half-day course is designed to provide the basics of good ambulatory assessment study design and implementation. Topics covered include: Developing time-based questions, sampling types (e.g., random, fixed, event-contingent), sampling frequency, questionnaire design, participant engagement, incentive schedules, data quality monitoring, and common challenges. Examples will be drawn from personality disorder research and psychopathology more broadly. It is taught by Aidan Wright, one of the world’s leading experts in ambulatory assessment and personality pathology.
The Global Alliance for Prevention and Early Intervention for Borderline Personality Disorder
GAP is an initiative that aims to promote early detection and timely intervention for borderline personality disorder across the health, education, welfare, justice and other relevant systems. Central to this goal is preparing the mental health workforce by updating knowledge in relation to BPD in young people.
This workshop is free - but you must register for it in advance.
Lived Experience Half-Day: Approaches to Advocacy – Learning from Experience
Are you an advocate working to change systems, improve support, and shift narratives around personality disorders? Join us for a free half-day event dedicated to learning from lived experience and carers at the ISSPD 2025. This is a day where we unite as a global community to connect and learn from each other.
Key themes
💚 Building strong connections – uniting a global community for change
💚 Making an impact – sharing experiences and insights about what works
💚 Navigating challenges – tackling stigma, disclosure, and barriers to support
💚 Bridging perspectives – the possibilities in bringing together lived experience storytelling and clinical expertise
This half-day is designed by and for advocates and peer workers with lived experience and carers who are driving change. Whether you’re a volunteer, work in the field, or simply want to learn more, you are welcome to take part.
Cost
This workshop is free - but you must register for it in advance.
There is free to participate in this half-day program, if you would like to participate for the full day the registration fee is $175. If you are registered for the full conference there is no additional fee for this workshop. Just make sure you have selected this workshop on your registration form.
Target audience
This half-day forum is open to anyone who is a lived experience individual, carers, and/or an advocate for lived experience.