Usually, I find diagnosis distasteful.  In individual work, it avoids working with the personal existential meanings and choices that cause the behaviors.  It buys into a notion that choice, defenses and human development is fixed instead of being ongoing and not rooted in something as simple as a disease.  In couple's work, diagnosis is even more toxic because it feeds the notion that the spouse needs to be fixed, instead of looking at the circular and attachment challenges that are present regardless of the individual diagnosis.  Yet, there is always an exception to the rule.  When a client or couple is not making progress and you suspect that a personality disorder is interfering with reasonable processing and taking to heart the issues being presented, using an objective measure and assessment can allow you to confront the client with what might be getting in the way.

 

This webinar will focus on how to introduce the idea, as well as how to use a particularly thorough and reliable instrument, endorsed by the World Health Association, known as the IPDE - the International Personality Disorder Examination.  It has been normed and tested in cultures and countries around the world. and is powerful and accurate.  It also is complex and takes time to learn how to administer and score, but is well worth it.  The process of administering the IPDE is educational for the client and the therapist because of the richness and depth of the questions and the introspection it encourages.  Some other assessment tools will also be discussed.