Mentalisation Based Therapy (MBT) Counselling
What is Mentalization/Mentalisation Based Therapy (MBT)?
A treatment helpful for people who just find it hard to understand others’ minds at times.
To avoid miscommunication, we need to be:
- aware of both ourselves and others,
- and be able to imagine what others may be thinking and feeling.
This can be hard to do, for some, at times…especially when you are experiencing strong emotions at the same time. We may be tempted to make assumptions. Feeling, and thinking about feeling, can be hard. This therapy helps you focus on behaviour, thoughts, feelings & how they are communicated, including intention and motivation.
Who is Mentalisation Based Therapy (MBT) for?
MBT helps people who may:
- be vulnerable to mentalisation problems. S/he may not have had a good start in life and/or lost out on the opportunity to learn this set of skills. The person may have had difficult experiences of loss and trauma.
- have difficulty in trusting others.
- be impulsive in their action.
- be described by others as unpredictable. They never know what mood you are going to be in.
- feel uncertain about your own identity.
MBT is for anyone wanting to learn to:
- increase your self-awareness
- increase your awareness of others
- increase your awareness of what might be going on between you & others
This could well help you:
- be more effective in your way of getting on with others
- better recognise, cope with & manage, your distress when relating to others
- and so
- live life better in the moment
Can I have one to one Mentalisation Based Therapy (MBT) sessions?
Our Clinical Psychologists offering MBT aim to help build a good working relationship with you so that you can learn what’s needed to reach for your goals.
As Clinical Psychologists are trained in other therapies too, the therapy offered can be agreed with you after the getting-to-know-you stage. For example, you may agree on a course of MBT first, then followed by Trauma focussed work (when you are ready for that)
Do I need a diagnosis to have Mentalisation Based Therapy (MBT)?
No, you don’t need to have any diagnosis.
People with one or more diagnoses have found MBT life-changing.
A diagnosis could be Emotionally Unstable Personality (EUPD), Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), Borderline Pattern. MBT was originally developed with this group in mind but is now being used more widely.
Find the right Mentalisation Based Therapy counselling near you
Our Clinical Psychologists are trained in and experienced in offering a number of therapy approaches.
Your Clinical Psychologist will help you look at different aspects of yourself that you want to change and to work out the best, individually tailored, route of how to get there.
This may involve using ideas from Mentalization, either alone or in combination with other therapies.
What does Mentalization help with?
Research evidence shows that Mentalization based therapy can help many people with different difficulties.
Our clinical psychologists are trained and experienced
Training to be a Clinical Psychologist covers many psychological therapies; many go on to even further training after that.
Our Clinical Psychologists provide specialist input.
Your Clinical Psychologist will help you look at different aspects of yourself that you want to change and to work out the best, individually tailored, route of how to get there. This may involve using MBT, either alone or in combination with other therapies.
How do I make an appointment?
We currently have appointment slots available, mostly online, with some face to face same-room appointments in certain parts of the country.
To see one of our Clinical Psychologists, do make contact using the green button or call to help us fix a good day and time for you.
Please keep an eye out for our email reply, in case it goes into your spam/junk box.
Please click here to see our independent Clinical Psychologists you could work with
Author
Dr Jurai Darongkamas
Written by © Dr Jurai Darongkamas, Consultant Clinical Psychologist, (with over 35 years’ experience).
This page has been written to provide a brief overview for the reader.
It should not be used as a basis for any action until after obtaining a professional opinion about unique difficulties, strengths, circumstances, life history, etc.
She has published articles on CAT including:
- A CAT envelope to deliver EMDR (Cognitive Analytic Therapy around Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) and
- Outcomes of Cognitive Analytic Therapy delivered by trainees.
Her work has been cited by many others.
CAT is also described on wikipedia.
Links to help and information
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