Philadelphia’s Leading Borderline Personality Disorder Hospital

Learn about borderline personality disorder treatment at Belmont Behavioral Health System in Philadelphia, PA

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) makes it difficult for the affected individual to develop a healthy sense of self, good boundaries, or healthy relationships. These struggles can impact every aspect of life, from friendships to career, and often results in long-lasting difficulties.

Belmont Behavioral Health System, a borderline personality disorder treatment center and hospital in Philadelphia, offers a dedicated team of medical and mental health professionals that are highly experienced in treating borderline personality disorder. Borderline personality disorder can lead to a number of complications if treatment is not received. Our treatment teams work with each individual to create specialized treatment plans that are designed to help alleviate the symptoms of BPD.

Helping a loved one get treatment for borderline personality disorder

When a loved one struggles with borderline personality disorder, his or her entire family and circle of friends may feel the impact. There are treatment methods that can help, and there are ways that you can help your loved one find healing. Here are a few steps to help a loved one seek treatment:

• Research all available treatment options. Every facility that offers treatment for borderline personality disorder has a different approach to helping individuals achieve wellness. By researching treatment centers ahead of time, you will be able to seek the therapies that appeal most to you, and help you find reliable treatment that applies to your loved one’s needs.
• It is always a good idea to research any potential condition your loved one may have. While it is not a good idea to diagnose a loved one at home, it can be helpful to learn more about living with someone who shows the symptoms of borderline personality disorder. There are a number of books and websites available for the family members and partners of individuals with this condition.
• It is often difficult to discuss any mental illness with a loved one, particularly when the loved one suffers from BPD, which already leads to fears of rejection. A conversation about borderline personality disorder may cause a number of different reactions from your loved one, so it is important to understand this disorder from his or her perspective as much as possible. It is often a good idea to consult with a mental health professional to find the best approach to use when addressing this disorder and its symptoms with a loved one.
• If your loved one decides to begin treatment, you can be a big asset in helping him or her transition into treatment. You can help set up an initial appointment at a treatment center, attend an initial meeting with a loved one, or simply help your loved one with transportation.
• While your loved one is in treatment, you may wish to participate in family counseling sessions, or attend counseling on your own while your loved one also works toward improvement.
• Most of all, remember to take care of yourself as well. Take time to rest, eat well, and keep up with the things that matter to you. Once your loved one is in treatment, he or she will be in a safe, supportive environment designed for healing so it is a great time for you to also seek the support of friends, family, or a therapist of your own.

Why consider treatment for borderline personality disorder at Belmont Behavioral Health System in Philadelphia, PA

Without treatment, borderline personality disorder can significantly impair relationships in particular. Career and even income can also suffer as a result of an individual’s battle with this disorder. Romantic relationships are particularly difficult for those who are struggling with borderline personality disorder as well. Often, those who struggle with BPD state that they feel emotionally overwhelmed and exhausted. BPD may cause such intense emotions that they lead to self-harm or even suicidal ideation. It may be difficult for those who struggle with this disorder to establish healthy support networks, resulting in isolation or constant changes in unhealthy friend groups. Borderline personality disorder may also put an individual at greater risk for suffering from severe injury as a result of self-harm or impulsive behaviors. It may lead to substance use disorders or accidents that are difficult from which to recover.

Fortunately, this condition is treatable, and even if an individual has received treatment in the past, new developments can lead to more in-depth treatment possibilities than ever before. With proper intervention, individuals may develop greater coping skills in order to lead happier lives.

Types of borderline personality disorder treatment offered at Belmont Behavioral Health System in Philadelphia, PA

Belmont Behavioral Health System is a psychiatric hospital that provides care for children, adolescents, adults, and geriatric patients who are struggling with psychiatric concerns, substance abuse, and co-occurring mental health problems. Each year, we care for approximately 3500 individuals in our inpatient treatment center alone.

Founded in 1937 as a 60-bed psychiatric hospital, we have grown to exceed the dreams of our founders, and we pride ourselves on being established members of our community in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Our campus is situated on 13 acres of land in a park-like setting that provides a serene environment in which to help individuals overcome mental health difficulties.

Treatment at Belmont Behavioral Health System, a hospital for borderline personality disorder treatment in Philadelphia, is based on a foundation of individualized care. We recognize that each person who comes to heal with us brings a unique set of strengths, needs, and treatment goals. We are committed to developing care plans that are tailored for each person who struggles with borderline personality disorder. At our hospital, no two treatment plans are the same, and our treatment is so successful that 92% of individuals who receive inpatient care are discharged home, instead of to other levels of care, after treatment has ended.

Our treatment center offers a wide range of interventions across various levels of care. These interventions include the following:

Medically monitored detoxification: At our treatment center, we recognize that individuals with psychiatric disorders may also struggle with substance abuse issues that can interfere with their ability to manage the symptoms of borderline disorder. As a result, we provide detoxification services that allow individuals to safely withdraw from substances of abuse under the watchful eye of our physicians and nursing team. While we are unable to provide detox services for individuals using methadone or Suboxone, we are able to maintain those treatments for individuals who are already taking these medications.

Medication management: Many individuals who are struggling with mental health disorders, including borderline personality disorder, benefit from including medications in their treatment regimen. At our hospital, every patient meets with a member of our medical team for an initial medication evaluation and ongoing daily medication monitoring.

Individual therapy: Patients at our treatment center can make substantial progress in their treatment for borderline personality disorder when they have a regular opportunity to process emotions, triumphs, and setbacks within the safety of a one-on-one therapeutic relationship. To support this progress, we provide regular individual therapy for every patient in our care. The frequency of sessions varies based on the patient’s age, unit, and need, as determined through collaboration between the patient and his or her treatment team. Patients meet with social services providers, case managers, rehab service providers, pastoral counselors, and other trainees and clinicians as recommended by the treatment team. Children and adolescents have daily individual therapy with members of their treatment team.

Group therapy: In addition to individual therapy, group therapy forms the backbone of treatment for BPD at our treatment center. Led by members of our social services/case management, rehab, and nursing teams, group sessions are offered daily and provide a chance for patients to learn and practice coping skills while supporting and being supported by their peers. Our groups, provided at least twice daily, are focused on recovery and resilience and operate in modalities such as music therapy, leisure, art therapy, peer support, occupational therapy, talk therapy, psychoeducation, and creative expression. Groups cover a wide range of topics, some of which include:

• AA/NA support groups
• 12-Steps
• Stages of Change
• Cognitive-behavioral skills and interventions
• Medication education
• Trauma-focused interventions
• Substance abuse
• Aftercare
• Spirituality
• ADLs (Activities of Daily Living)
• Dialectical behavioral therapy skills
• Managing psychosis/illness management
• Self-care
• Meditation and mindfulness
• Problem-solving and decision-making
• Values and goals
• Building strengths and resilience
• Healthy boundaries
• Wellness and Recovery Action Planning
• Self-esteem
• Behavioral activation (ceramics, ice cream social, exercise/yoga, art, music, activities/games, team building/challenge course, etc.)
• Peer-run groups (motivational speaker series & Face to Face Friday)
• AM/PM Community Meeting

In addition to these groups, patients are invited to attend monthly alumni support meetings that give them an opportunity to speak with alumni from our hospital and explore methods for achieving long-term success in treatment.

Family therapy: Our more than 80 years of experience treating mental illnesses like borderline personality disorder has shown us that one person’s mental illness often affects his or her entire family. In addition, family support can sometimes make the difference between relapse and long-term success. As a result, we emphasize family involvement and therapy throughout a patient’s stay at our treatment center. Our treatment teams work with parents, grandparents, and other caregivers in order to develop the most comprehensive treatment solutions that will best enable our patients to thrive after treatment. Our case managers meet with family members, schools, community agencies, and other organizations to develop coordinated discharge plans. On our child and adolescent units, family sessions can also include development and utilization of crisis and safety planning, development and utilization of coping and communications skills, exploration of the family dynamic, and ways to improve interpersonal skills within that dynamic.

Experiential therapy: Individual and group therapies are of enormous benefit, but we have found that our patients also benefit from involving more of their bodies and minds in their recovery process. Experiential therapies at our hospital use embodiment and sensory experiences to deepen individuals’ engagement in treatment, increase empowerment, and promote a sense of safety. Some of these interventions include:

• Art therapy
• Music therapy
• Role playing
• Guided imagery

Education: For children and adolescents at our treatment center, we recognize the importance of ensuring continuity in their education so that they are not forced to choose between mental health care and academic success. Children and adolescents attend two hours of schooling per day, receiving instruction that is specially tailored around their Individual Education Plans (IEPs). The social worker works closely with the child or adolescent and the Pennsylvania Child and Adolescent Service Program (CASSP) throughout the patient’s length of stay to ensure all services are planned collaboratively with the patient, his or her family, and all agencies involved in the child or adolescent’s life.

Other interventions: As a leading provider of mental healthcare in Pennsylvania, we are equipped to offer a number of other interventions to those in our care. Some of these include:

• Nutrition consultation: All individuals in our care have access to our staff dietitian as needed.
• Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT): Individuals who are seeking alternatives to medication, or those for whom medications are not working, can elect to receive ECT for symptoms including depression, psychosis, catatonia, and mania. This form of treatment is quite safe and completely voluntary. This process generally involves a series of treatments two or three times a week for six to twelve treatments. In addition, maintenance treatments are often provided on an outpatient basis for the prevention of symptom relapse. Services are provided by certified ECT physicians, one of whom is our treatment center’s Medical Director. The ECT physicians oversee ECT-trained nursing staff and an external group of certified registered nurse anesthetists.
• Internal medicine: We provide internal medicine services to all of our patients. Our admissions process includes a physical exam, and consultation with an internal medicine physician is available throughout the course of a hospital stay.
• Motivational speakers: We recognize that it can be superbly helpful to hear from other individuals who have learned to manage mental illness, and we bring in volunteer speakers, many of whom are trained as certified peer specialists and who have lived with mental illness and addiction, to offer personal insights into the challenges and successes of the recovery journey.
• Sensory programming (STAR Program): Individuals’ bodies can be powerful allies in the pursuit of improved mental health, so our STAR program (Sensory Tool Awareness and Routines) is used to foster an increased sense of safety, self-awareness, and control over patients’ lives by teaching tools which help to balance and regulate their nervous systems.
• Autism services: Our on-staff behavior specialist is certified in autism studies and provides consultation on behavioral interventions for individuals with autism and families of those individuals.
• Welcoming committee/Active treatment: As a part of our commitment to providing individually tailored treatment, we recognize that some individuals can benefit from interventions outside of groups, and we have developed resources that further allow patients to take treatment into their own hands. Within this intervention, we give patients a brief assessment and self-help materials to allow them to continue their growth outside of groups. We are also developing materials for individuals whose dominant language is not English.

Because recovery from borderline personality disorder is a journey, we recognize that inpatient care is only the beginning for many individuals. As such, our treatment teams, and especially our case workers, work with schools, community agencies, and other organizations to develop coordinated and integrated treatment and aftercare plans. We begin planning for discharge from day one of treatment so that our patients leave our hospital into the welcoming arms of community-based support and external resources, maximizing patients’ abilities to continue the progress they made in treatment.

At our treatment center in Philadelphia, we put forth every effort to ensure that our patients can be successful in their recovery journeys. If you or a loved one is struggling with borderline personality disorder, please do not hesitate to contact us. Today could be the first day of a brighter future.