STEPPS: A cognitive-behavioral systems-based group treatment for outpatients with borderline personality disorder—a preliminary report

We describe a new cognitive-behavioral systems-based group treatment for persons with borderline personality disorder (BPD). The program is called STEPPS, an acronym for Systems Training for Emotional Predictability and Problem Solving. Briefly, the program combines cognitive-behavioral techniques a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Comprehensive psychiatry 2002-07, Vol.43 (4), p.301-310
Main Authors: Blum, Nancee, Pfohl, Bruce, John, Don St, Monahan, Patrick, Black, Donald W.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Affect
Attitude
Behavior therapy. Cognitive therapy
Biological and medical sciences
Borderline Personality Disorder - therapy
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy - methods
Female
Group psychotherapy
Humans
Male
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
Pilot Projects
Psychological Tests
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Psychotherapies. Psychological and clinical counseling
Psychotherapy, Group - methods
Reproducibility of Results
Treatments
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Summary:We describe a new cognitive-behavioral systems-based group treatment for persons with borderline personality disorder (BPD). The program is called STEPPS, an acronym for Systems Training for Emotional Predictability and Problem Solving. Briefly, the program combines cognitive-behavioral techniques and skills training with a systems component. The latter involves patients with BPD and persons in their system (e.g., family members, significant others, health care professionals). The program involves 20 two-hour weekly group meetings with two facilitators, is manual-based, and has specific goals to accomplish each week. Here, we review the background and development of the program, and present preliminary efficacy data from a subset of patients which suggest that patients experience improvement in BPD and mood-related symptoms. Survey results suggest moderate to high levels of satisfaction for the treatment from patients and therapists. A new scale, the Borderline Evaluation of Severity Over Time (BEST), developed to measure severity and change in persons with BPD, is described. We propose to conduct additional research to further validate the efficacy of STEPPS. Copyright 2002, Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.
ISSN:0010-440X
1532-8384
DOI:10.1053/comp.2002.33497