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Clients with Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD) take normally positive characteristics such as conscientiousness and attention to detail to such an extreme that these characteristics become seriously dysfunctional. This disorder has received only limited attention from cognitive-behavioural investigators and the one empirical investigation of the treatment of individuals with OCPD found that simply inducing these individuals to engage in treatment was difficult. This paper presents a cognitive-behavioural conceptualization of OCPD and uses a detailed case example to illustrate an approach to intervention which shows promise for providing an effective approach to intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a programme for inpatients with severe personality disorders as well as acute exacerbation of Axis II pathology. The goal of the programme was to quickly stabilize participants with respect to self-injurious behaviour and return them to the community. The programme consisted of frequent coordinated cognitive group therapy sessions with supporting written and audiovisual materials. The groups were open-ended and heterogenous, and employed educational and experiential-affective components. An extended group case example is presented in order to illustrate the operation of the programme. The range of typical participants is described, including their diagnoses, treatment plans, and homework assignments. Some comments on the personal and professional difficulties encountered by therapists working with this population ate described as well as some suggestions for alleviating those difficulties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contemporary cognitive-behavioural approaches to conceptualizing and treating personality disorders are summarized and examined. The initial evidence regarding the effectiveness of these treatment approaches consisted primarily of clinical anecdotes but a growing body of empirical evidence regarding the efficacy of cognitive-behavioural treatment for clients with personality disorders has developed in recent years. The available empirical literature is reviewed and is discussed in terms of its implications for clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The particular importance of examining the issue of the effectiveness of treatment for problem drinking is based on: (a) the history of a separation of science and practice in the alcohol field; (b) an era of increased accountability for the results of clinical practice. Consideration of the complexities involved in deciding whether treatment makes a difference is followed by an examination of the relative merits of empirical and non-empirical evaluative approaches. Barriers to using knowledge effectively (therapist and cultural) are identified along with the use of knowledge destruction tactics. It is concluded that the most realistic alternative is an empirical approach that uses a wide range of methodologies to bridge the scientist–practitioner divide. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conceptual and clinical problems arise in the treatment of patients with personality disorders, including three clinical problems: establishing and maintaining a therapeutic relationship with these patients is often difficult, empirically-validated treatments for personality disorders are generally not available, and personality-disordered patients typically have multiple presenting problems. We describe a case formulation model for conceptualizing and treating multiple-problem patients, and outline how it addresses these difficulties arising in the treatment of patients with personality disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]