Art Therapy for Individuals With Borderline Personality: Using a Dialectical Behavior Therapy Framework

Art therapy has shown benefits for people with borderline personality disorder and borderline personality traits by alleviating interpersonal difficulties such as affect regulation, an unstable sense of self, self-injurious behaviors, and suicidal ideation. Borderline personality disorder is currently viewed as a trauma spectrum disorder, because individuals with this condition are more likely to have experienced early trauma. Eight specific art therapy interventions that meet important treatment goals for those with borderline personality are described.