Assertive Community Treatment and the Shift Towards Dialectical Behavior Therapy: As Valuable for Practitioners as for Clients?
Abstract
Not until recently have individuals with severe mental illnesses sought treatment outside
the traditional means of inpatient wards and psychiatric hospitals. Fortunately, the expanse of
resources now available encompasses a more comprehensive, client-centered approach,
emphasizing community-based treatment and outpatient services. In light of its growing
availability, this study focused specifically on local Assertive Community Treatment (ACT)
services, and the practitioners involved in delivering therapy to individuals with Borderline
Personality Disorder (BPD), a growing chronic mental illness affecting an estimated 6 million
U.S. citizens. While numerous studies review current treatment methods from the clients’
perspective, rarely are the therapists themselves the center of question, specifically in regards to
therapeutic approach. It is our aim, therefore, to highlight the contrasts between ACT
practitioners’ approaches towards serving clients with BPD.