In Borderline Personality Disorder: A Therapist's Guide to Taking Control, Freeman and Fusco offer the means by which clinicians can get a hold of BPD in the therapeutic situation and, most importantly, in their clients' lives. Organized in chapters that correspond to each of the nine criteria for BPD the Therapist's Guide is designed to aid the experienced therapist in performing the focused, structured work necessary with patients. This book lays out a constructive program for organizing effective therapy by moving through each criterion, examining it and whether it is manifested in clients' life, and, then, providing critical, reflective, and calming strategies by which clients can begin to take control of their lives. The Therapist's Guide provides the basic structure of the detailed therapeutic exercises that the Patient's Guide establishes for the client's use both in therapy and at home in between sessions.

The disorder and lack of control that characterize BPD are, however, organized around consistent habits. The Taking Control Program presented by Fusco and Freeman targets these patterns, helping people understand, address, and, eventually, alter them for the better. Borderline Personality Disorder: A Patient s Guide to Taking Control is your means to begin to take command of your life by following the therapeutic course described in these pages. Chapter by chapter, you will explore the nine basic patterns that typify BPD. Once you understand each of these patters, you will then assess the degree to which you exhibit any number of those patterns and learn various strategies that you can adopt to address those habits. The Patient s Guide provides a step-by-step cognitive program rich in worksheets and exercises to facilitate your personal process of self-examination and problem solving. Fusco and Freeman offer those diagnosed with BPD, as well as their therapists, invaluable guidance in negotiating the pitfalls of BPD as you move ahead toward the prospect of retaking control over your life."