MedTrace Logo

Internal Family Systems Therapy for Borderline Personality Disorder

NCT07342907 · Status: RECRUITING · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 15

Last updated 2026-01-16

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) involves intense emotional ups and downs, unstable relationships, impulsivity, and a poor sense of self. These challenges often lead to addiction, self-harm, and frequent use of healthcare services. While certain treatments already in practice - such as dialectical behavior therapy - can help, they don't work for everyone or address all aspects of the disorder. This study plans to explore internal family systems (IFS) therapy, a method that views the mind as made up of different "parts" - each with its own thoughts and feelings. IFS helps people build understanding and compassion toward these parts and connect with a calmer, more centered "Self." This may be especially useful for those with BPD, who often feel fragmented and extremely critical of themselves and others. This will be the first study to examine internal family systems therapy for BPD. The participants (15 in total) will receive up to 50 individual sessions over 15 months. Changes in symptoms and overall mental health will be measured at four points during the study. People with lived experience of BPD will help shape the research to ensure it is relevant, respectful, and useful for others facing similar challenges.

Conditions

  • Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Internal family systems therapy

The internal family systems model was developed by Richard C. Schwartz in the 1980s. This psychotherapy is based on the assumption that the human mind is naturally multiple and consists of interacting sub-personalities ("parts"), including protective and vulnerable parts, shaped by development and adversity. All parts are assumed to have positive intentions, even when their effects are maladaptive; therapy therefore aims to transform rather than eliminate them. Internal family systems therapy further posits the existence of a core Self in every person, characterized by qualities such as compassion, clarity, and calm, which is inherently intact in each individual and capable of leading the internal system. Therapeutic change involves increasing the leadership skills of the core Self, building trusting relationships among parts and the core Self, and unburdening vulnerable parts so they can assume more adaptive roles, supporting improved emotion regulation and well-being.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Barna Konkoly-Thege, PhD · Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care

Study Design

Allocation
NA
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Model
SINGLE_GROUP

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2026-02-28
Primary Completion
2027-12-31
Completion
2028-12-31

Countries

  • Canada

More Related Trials

Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT07342907 on ClinicalTrials.gov