Feasibility of online group schema therapy: A preliminary study with therapists in training for future application in borderline personality disorder.

BACKGROUND

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is the most prevalent personality disorder and can significantly impair patients' functioning. Evidence-based treatments exist, but can be inaccessible due to various limitations. Internet-delivered treatment could potentially increase accessibility and scalability. Before investigating patients, we planned a pilot-test of video-conferencing group schema therapy (VC-GST) as self-therapy for therapists in training.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to assess the feasibility of VC-GST for therapists in training. We hypothesised VC-GST to be a feasible intervention.

METHODS

An uncontrolled pre-post-test feasibility study was conducted on a group of 24 therapists in training and analysed via one-sample and paired-samples t-tests. Feasibility was assessed through system usability, client satisfaction, group cohesion, working alliance, and drop-out rates. Furthermore, the effect of the VC-GST intervention on the participants' functioning, patterns, and personality traits was evaluated.

RESULTS

VC-GST showed high usability and strong client satisfaction, with marked improvement in group cohesion and working alliance, and a drop-out rate of 4 %. Additionally, participants showed an increase in adaptive and decrease in maladaptive schemas.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrates that VC-GST could be a feasible intervention for therapists in training, warranting further research into VC-GST for a clinical population of BPD patients.