**This is a special 2-day, 12-CE didactic micro-certificate program resulting in a PD-PT(i)^® post-nominal credential through Mind Works Professional Education, Inc. **

Most clinicians assume they don’t need to know how to work with personality disorders because “that’s not the population I treat.” With the U.S. about 4% higher than the global average, about 10% of the American population meets criteria for a DSM-5 Personality Disorder (WebMD, 2021). Many more, closer to 30-40% of individuals in the U.S. carry at least two or more common features of a personality disorder. Comorbidity rates in this population for other mental health concerns like anxiety, mood disorders, impulse control, and substance abuse are much higher at 20-50%. If you work with trauma or substance abuse, you’re likely seeing personality disorders in 60-90% of those patients. Since prognosis for individuals with PD’s is relatively poor (i.e. these features are generally regarded as “fixed”), it is that much more important for clinicians to learn how to work with common PD behaviors and cognitions in order to be effective in their work.  

Personality disordered individuals are often considered to be some of the most difficult consumers of mental health services for therapists to treat effectively. Clearing the fog surrounding the different conditions and getting to the core of each individual client is vital to a successful treatment outcome. Drawing from the most recent literature, outcome trials, case studies and 20 years of clinical experience, Jeff Riggenbach, PhD will describe the latest evidence-based treatment options and show you how to avoid common pitfalls and therapeutic traps of these individuals who often leave clinicians feeling frustrated, stuck, and disheartened.

In this 2-day live and interactive micro-certification program, Jeff will describe each of the DSM-5 personality disorders and give you simple but effective engagement, management, and treatment techniques for each. Empirically supported strategies from DBT, CBT, and Schema Therapy will be incorporated into an integrated treatment approach that will transform the way your work with this challenging population. You will leave this experience not only with a new credibility marker, but most importantly you’ll leave feeling revitalized, hopeful, and more confident than ever to take on the hardest clients. Come away equipped with a new, comprehensive, empowering approach to assess, conceptualize, and treat this difficult population in a way that offers hope for clients and reinvigoration for providers. Scroll down on this page to see a full program schedule.

Attendance and Location Details

Date and Time

**Special 2-day, 12-CE Live event**

Day 1: Friday, June 6, 2025, 9:00am – 4:30pm CST / 10:00am – 5:30pm ET / 7:00am – 2:30pm PT

Day 2: Saturday, June 7, 2025, 9:00am – 4:30pm CST / 10:00am – 5:30pm ET / 7:00am – 2:30pm PT

*Zoom link will be made available to you 24-48 hours prior to event date

Agenda:

***Please see full, timed Program Schedule below***

Objectives:

This training will provide participants clinical knowledge and tools to:

1. Describe diagnostic criteria and explain key differential diagnosis considerations for each of the DSM-5 Personality Disorders.
2. Learn and utilize the personality spectrum to conceptualize clients and inform your treatment approach.
3. Learn to socialize the client toward an integrated approach to treatment in a way that enhances motivation.
4. Formulate individualized roadmaps to recovery for every client that will elicit buy-in and drive treatment from start to finish.
5. Discuss the 8 motivations for non-suicidal self injury (NSSI) and utilize effective interventions for each.
6. Explain the BPD diagnosis to clients and family in a way that decreases defensiveness.
7. Differentiate a “Borderline Mood Swing” from a “Bipolar Mood Swing” and learn how to intervene appropriately for each.
8. Implement empathic confrontation and schema mode work with narcissistic clients.
9. Develop trust in paranoid clients.
10. Manage rule-breaking behaviors in callous and unemotional patients.
11. Facilitate getting needs met in appropriate ways in your treatment of individuals with histrionic traits.
12. Identify 3 warning sign for relapse.

Program Schedule (4 pages):

Target Audience:

The target audience for this live webinar event includes psychologists, social workers, counselors, MFT’s, and other clinical mental health professionals.

Instructional Level: Intermediate

Instructor(s): Jeff Riggenbach, PhD

Material Author(s): Jeff Riggenbach, PhD

Jeff Riggenbach, PhD is a best-selling and award-winning author who has earned a reputation as an international expert in cognitive approaches to treating personality disorders. Over a 20-year period, he has developed and overseen CBT-based treatment programs for mood disorders, anxiety disorders, addictive behavior disorders and personality disorders at two different psychiatric hospitals and clinics serving over 3,000 clients at multiple levels of care. Dr. Riggenbach trained at the Beck Institute of Cognitive Therapy and Research in Philadelphia, is a Diplomat of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy, and is a certified cognitive therapist. He has trained over 20,000 professionals worldwide including audiences in all 50 United States, The UK, Canada, Mexico, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Dr. Riggenbach is the author of seven publications including his most recent clinical release The CBT Toolbox (2nd ed): A Workbook for Clients and Clinicians (2021) and his brand new general audiences book “Disarming High Conflict Personalities: Dealing with the 8 Most Difficult People in Your Life Before you Burnout!” (2022). Jeff is known for bridging the gap between academia, research findings, and day-to-day clinical practice, and his work has earned him the reputation for being “the practical tools guy.” His seminars on CBT, DBT, and Schema-Focused Cognitive Therapy routinely receive the highest evaluations from conference participants in terms of clinical utility as well as entertainment value.

For additional information about this course, the instructors, or the material authors, please contact Content Assistance at content@onlinececredits.com.

Featured Materials :

Course materials (including the link to join live events) are made available to live webinar attendees 24-48 hours before the event start time. Course materials for online asynchronous courses are found in the Lesson module after a course is purchased.