Mentalisierungsbasierte Therapie

Mentalization-based therapy (MBT) was developed by Anthony W. Bateman and Peter Fonagy for the treatment of patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and is considered one of the evidence-based treatment approaches for this disorder. It is an integrative therapeutic approach that expands psychodynamic elements with systemic and cognitive aspects. This volume conveys the fundamental concept of MBT, explains the disorder model, describes the therapist's MBT-specific basic attitude, outlines MBT-specific interventions, and provides information on existing evidence of effectiveness. In MBT, mentalization is viewed as something fundamentally learnable. In the disorder model for personality disorders, the authors assume that the core problems of BPD—interpersonal issues, affect dysregulation, and impulsivity—are related to the patients' difficulties in maintaining mentalization in emotionally significant relationships. The goal of therapy is to stabilize or promote mentalization, especially in interpersonally affective contexts, for which the relationship with the therapist is particularly suitable. The present work is a condensed version of the current MBT manual in German, illustrating the therapeutic approach with a detailed case example.