Juliet McCrudden, Briana Severine and Ali Pierucci of Sanare

Personality Disorders

A personality disorder is a long-standing pattern of thinking, feeling and relating to others that causes real trouble at home, at work or in relationships. The pattern usually starts in the teens or early adulthood and shows up across many situations, not just one hard season.

People with personality disorders are often in a great deal of pain. Many have also been misunderstood for years, by family and by the systems meant to help them. Treatment works, though it usually takes steady effort over months rather than weeks.

The three clusters

Cluster A, odd or eccentric. Paranoid, schizoid and schizotypal personality disorders. Distrust, emotional distance, unusual beliefs.
Cluster B, dramatic or emotional. Borderline, antisocial, histrionic and narcissistic personality disorders. Intense emotions, unstable relationships, impulsive behavior.
Cluster C, anxious or fearful. Avoidant, dependent and obsessive-compulsive personality disorders. Fear of rejection, reliance on others, rigid control.

Borderline personality disorder is the one we see most. We've written more about it in our post on borderline personality disorder.

Where it causes trouble

Personality disorders tend to show up in the space between people. A friendship ends after a misread text. A job is lost after a blowup with a supervisor. Someone avoids every social invitation and then feels crushed by loneliness. These patterns repeat, and each repeat makes the next one more likely.

What gets in the way of help

People with personality disorders are sometimes labeled "difficult" by providers, which makes them less likely to come back for care. Others have bounced between therapists and programs without much change. We hear this often. Our approach is steady and direct: clear expectations on both sides, a small consistent team, and a focus on the specific situations that keep going wrong.

How Sanare helps

Because the hardest moments happen in daily life, that is where we do much of the work. Sanare clinicians see clients at home and in the community one to five times a week, as a team of at least two.

DBT skills. Dialectical behavior therapy was built for borderline personality disorder. We teach and practice its skills for handling emotions, distress and relationships, in the situations where they're needed.
Relationships. Rehearsing hard conversations, setting limits, and repairing after conflict.
Work and structure. Keeping a job or a class schedule steady through emotional ups and downs.
A consistent team. Two clinicians who know the client well and respond the same way, which helps when trust has been hard.
Coordination. Working alongside a client's therapist, psychiatrist or DBT group.

Personality disorder treatment in Denver

We work with adults 18 and older across the Denver and Boulder metro. Reach out or call 303.476.1974 to talk with Briana Severine about whether our support is a fit. If you're in crisis, call or text 988.