NRNP 6645 WEEK 10 Therapy for Clients With Personality Disorders
Therapy for Clients with Personality Disorders
Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) is a prolonged behavioral pattern characterized by excessive self-importance, a need for admiration, and a tendency to brag or be unlikable (Deng et al., 2021). It may greatly hinder social and vocational functioning and is often associated with other mental disorders. The availability and effectiveness of treatment options for NPD are limited, and persons with this condition may exhibit traits such as boastfulness, arrogance, or being unlikeable. It is a chronic and enduring problem. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the diagnostic and therapy strategies used to manage NPD.
DSM-5-TR Diagnostic Criteria
The diagnosis of a personality disorder is based on the careful and continuous observation of a patient’s behaviors across different situations over time. The DSM-5-TR Criteria for narcissistic personality disorder include the fact that individuals must have a consistent pattern of possessing an exaggerated feeling of their significance, an intense need for approval, and a deficiency in empathy while interacting with others (Weinberg & Ronningstam, 2022). This trend emerges throughout the early stages of adulthood and continues across different situations. The clinical presentation includes characteristics such as an inflated sense of self-importance, preoccupation with dreams of achievement, the conviction of being unique, seeking excessive adulation, a sense of entitlement, engaging in exploitative behaviors, absence of empathy, feelings of jealousy towards others, and displaying arrogant and haughty behaviors and attitudes (Schalkwijk et al., 2021).
Therapeutic Approach
NPD is often not acknowledged by the individual experiencing it and is frequently seen in close family members or friends. It occurs when maladaptive behaviors result in stress for someone else rather than causing personal pain. The treatment primarily aims to minimize interpersonal conflict and establish stability in psychosocial functioning. Transference-focused psychotherapy (TFP) is a scientifically proven psychodynamic psychotherapy for NPD rooted in object relations theory (Di Giacomo et al., 2023). The TFP-N approach maintains fundamental components of the therapy, such as a phase of establishing agreements and a process of interpretation aimed at recognizing and altering dysfunctional cognitive patterns related to self-perception and interpersonal relationships. These tendencies exacerbate behavioral and emotional instability in people with personality disorders such as NPD. To produce long-lasting changes in personality organization and noticeable improvements in one’s interpersonal and professional contacts, the primary objective of TFP-N is to concentrate on dysfunctional interpersonal habits of interacting during the current therapy session.
Therapeutic Relationship
A therapeutic relationship is an interpersonal bond between a therapist and a client characterized by trust, mutual respect, and a shared sense of optimism (Hinz, 2024). It offers a secure environment for the client to express themselves without criticism openly and enables cooperation in the therapeutic process. When informing a client of a diagnosis of NPD, it is essential to engage in the discussion with empathy and comprehension. It is crucial to emphasize that the diagnosis does not determine the client’s identity but offers a structure for comprehending and tackling their difficulties (Weinberg, 2023). It is crucial to highlight that the practitioner’s role is to assist the client in healing and recovery. When communicating the diagnosis to someone, it is essential to prioritize delivering tailored information and offering assistance. During a family session, the primary focus is to educate the family about NPD and actively include them in the client’s treatment plan. During a group session, the conversation often focuses on shared experiences and techniques for dealing with challenges, which helps to create a feeling of community and mutual comprehension among the participants.
Conclusion/Scholarly Sources
This paper provides evidence from peer-reviewed scholarly sources to support the diagnosis and management of Narcissistic Personality Disorder. All the supporting sources are intellectual, as they are published in reputable academic medical journals or psychiatry platforms and have undergone a rigorous peer-review process. Experts and academics have written all of these works and contributed to comprehending personality disorders by offering new research findings, theories, analyses, viewpoints, updates, or summaries of current knowledge.
References
Deng, F., Ding, L., & Liao, C. C. (2021). An overview of narcissistic personality disorder. Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research/Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.211220.271
Di Giacomo, E., Andreini, E., Lorusso, O., & Clerici, M. (2023). The dark side of empathy in narcissistic personality disorder. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1074558
Hinz, L. D. (2024). Filling the form: Expressive Therapies Continuum‐guided treatment of narcissistic personality disorder. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 80(5), 1192–1206. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.23635
Schalkwijk, F., Luyten, P., Ingenhoven, T., & Dekker, J. (2021). Narcissistic Personality Disorder: Are psychodynamic theories and the alternative DSM-5 model for personality disorders finally going to meet? Frontiers in Psychology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.676733
Weinberg, I. (2023). Building hope for treatment of narcissistic personality disorder. Authorea (Authorea). https://doi.org/10.22541/au.169156625.54437956/v1
Weinberg, I., & Ronningstam, E. (2022). Narcissistic Personality Disorder: Progress in understanding and treatment. Focus/Focus (American Psychiatric Publishing. Online), 20(4), 368–377. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.focus.20220052
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Therapy for Clients With Personality Disorders
Individuals with personality disorders often find it difficult to overcome the enduring patterns of thought and behavior that they have thus far experienced and functioned with in daily life. Even when patients are aware that personality-related issues are causing significant distress and functional impairment and are open to counseling, treatment can be challenging for both the patient and the therapist. For this Assignment, you examine specific personality disorders and consider therapeutic approaches you might use with clients.
Resources
Be sure to review the Learning Resources before completing this activity.
Click the weekly resources link to access the resources.
Learning Resources
Required Readings
- American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders
- Links to an external site. (5th ed., text rev.). https://go.openathens.net/redirector/waldenu.edu?url=https://dsm.psychiatryonline.org/doi/book/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787
- “Culture and Psychiatric Diagnosis”
- Paris, J. (2015). Psychotherapies
- Links to an external site.. In A concise guide to personality disorders (pp. 119–135). American Psychological Association.
- Wheeler, K. (Ed.). (2020). Psychotherapy for the advanced practice psychiatric nurse: A how-to guide for evidence-based practice (3rd ed.). Springer Publishing.
- Chapter 18, “Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Complex Trauma”
Required Media
- Symptom Media. (2020). Antisocial personality disorder ASPD online CNE CEU courses for nurses
- Links to an external site. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewBFri65Quw
- Symptom Media. (2020). Histrionic disorder NP mental health continuing education
- Links to an external site. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJVRGofeV-w
- Symptom Media. (2020). Narcissistic personality disorder online LPN CE credit CEU unit classes
- Links to an external site. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knfVjj3P9es
To prepare:
- Review this week’s Learning Resources and reflect on the insights they provide about treating clients with personality disorders.
- Select one of the personality disorders from the DSM-5-TR (e.g., paranoid, antisocial, narcissistic). Then, select a therapy modality (individual, family, or group) that you might use to treat a client with the disorder you selected.
The Assignment:
Succinctly, in 1–2 pages, address the following:
- Briefly describe the personality disorder you selected, including the DSM-5-TR diagnostic criteria.
- Explain a therapeutic approach and a modality you might use to treat a client presenting with this disorder. Explain why you selected the approach and modality, justifying their appropriateness.
- Next, briefly explain what a therapeutic relationship is in psychiatry. Explain how you would share your diagnosis of this disorder with the client in order to avoid damaging the therapeutic relationship. Compare the differences in how you would share your diagnosis with an individual, a family, and in a group session.
Support your response with specific examples from this week’s Learning Resources and at least three peer-reviewed, evidence-based sources. Explain why each of your supporting sources is considered scholarly. Attach the PDFs of your sources.
By Day 7
Submit your Assignment. Also attach and submit PDFs of the sources you used.
submission information
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- To submit your completed assignment, save your Assignment as WK10Assgn_LastName_Firstinitial
- Then, click on Start Assignment near the top of the page.
- Next, click on Upload File and select Submit Assignment for review.
Rubric
NRNP_6645_Week10_Assignment_Rubric
Criteria | Ratings | Pts | ||||
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This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Succinctly, in 1–2 pages, address the following: • Briefly describe the personality disorder you selected, including the DSM-5-TR diagnostic criteria. |
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15 pts | ||||
This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome • Explain a therapeutic approach and a modality you might use to treat a client presenting with this disorder. Explain why you selected the approach and modality, justifying their appropriateness. |
|
25 pts | ||||
This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome • Briefly explain what a therapeutic relationship is in psychiatry. Explain how you would share your diagnosis of this disorder with the client in order to avoid damaging the therapeutic relationship. Compare the differences in how you would share your diagnosis with an individual, a family, and in a group session. |
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30 pts | ||||
This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome · Support your approach with specific examples from this week’s media and at least three peer-reviewed, evidence-based sources. PDFs are attached. |
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15 pts | ||||
This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Written Expression and Formatting – Paragraph Development and Organization: Paragraphs make clear points that support well-developed ideas, flow logically, and demonstrate continuity of ideas. Sentences are carefully focused—neither long and rambling nor short and lacking substance. A clear and comprehensive purpose statement and introduction is provided which delineates all required criteria. |
|
5 pts | ||||
This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Written Expression and Formatting – English writing standards: Correct grammar, mechanics, and proper punctuation |
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5 pts | ||||
This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Written Expression and Formatting – The paper follows correct APA format for title page, headings, font, spacing, margins, indentations, page numbers, parenthetical/in-text citations, and reference list. |
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5 pts | ||||
Total Points: 100 |