I have worked at great length with people who have personality disorders, particularly Borderline Personality Disorder. I have observed that therapists often use a form of Cognitive Behavior Therapy known as Dialectical Behavioral Therapy to treat these disorders. The thing that really impresses me is in the way in which it is empirically effective in treating Borderline Personality Disorder and from what I have read, DBT is the gold standard treatment for this particular disorder.
I have observed that people who have Borderline Personality Disorder have emotional extremes that distort their view of reality. They are quick to internalize conflict to such a degree that they begin to self-harm and attempt suicide. DBT points out these emotional extremes and helps them to connect their thought patterns more rationally. In that sense, it is like a firehose that puts out the dangerous fire of emotional extreme and then it helps them rebuild a more realistic view of their circumstances. In my conversations with people with Borderline, they indicate that they only wish they could get more personal and specific DBT therapy because most DBT is used in Group Therapy sessions. The DBT/CBT institute of San Antonio arranges individual DBT sessions: https://www.sanantoniodbtcbt.com/dbt-for-professionals/
