Mentalizing Promoting Therapy

Young people often still have great difficulty understanding the feelings, thoughts and behaviour of others and themselves. This lack of ability to mentalize can lead to overwhelming experiences, emotional and behavioral problems, and disturbed relationships with others and oneself. Mentalizing Promoting Therapy improves the mentalizing ability and is particularly suitable for young people with borderline personality problems with characteristics such as emotion regulation problems, impulsivity, negative self-image and problems in relationships with others. It is an intensive program in which parents, family members or friends etc. are involved.

Purpose
The goal of Mentalizing Promoting Therapy for young people is that the young person will discover how he thinks about himself and others, what he feels about it and how that determines his reactions in relation to others.

Method
The NPI offers the following MBT treatments:

• 12 – 15 years (group & individual MBT-J)
• 15 – 23 years (group & individual MBT-A)

Duration: a maximum of two years in total, with an MBT I course and a three-month preparatory course beforehand.

Mentalizing promoting therapy for adolescents (MBT-J and MBT-A) is an intensive form of therapy with several therapy appointments per week. Through specific interventions, you work together with the therapists to reflect more on feelings and to put them into words, so that you are able to understand and regulate your own feelings, and learn to better tune in to the feelings of others. The goal of this form of treatment is that mentalization gets going sufficiently, so that you can develop further on your own.

Factsheets
MBT F-I Mentalization Introduction Course for Parents
MBT Youth
MBT Early
MBT-I Youth

Proven effective
The effectiveness of Mentalizing Promoting Therapy for children and adolescents has been proven by the following scientific studies:

• Jørgensen C.R., Freund C., Boye R., Jordet H., Andersen D., Kjölbye M. Outcome of mentalization-based and supportive psychotherapy in patients with borderline personality disorder: a randomized trial. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica. 2013; 127(4):305-317. Link to the article.
• Bateman A, Fonagy P. Randomized controlled trial of outpatient mentalization-based treatment versus structured clinical management for borderline personality disorder. Am J Psychiatry. 2009 Dec; 166(12):1355-1364. Link to the article.
• Bateman A, Fonagy P. 8-year follow-up of patients treated for borderline personality disorder: mentalization-based treatment versus treatment as usual. Am J Psychiatry. 2008 May; 165(5):631-638. Link to the article.