The ESSPD organizes clinically oriented workshop-conferences every few years. They are being organized in areas, where the evidence-based therapeutic approaches to personality disorder treatment may not be very strongly established.
The next ESSPD clinical workshop-conference will take place in Riga, Latvia on 5–7 June 2025.
The theme for this workshop-conference is Dealing with alliance ruptures: perspectives from different therapies.
Setup
The conference will start with a more academic overview of research into alliance ruptures in treatment of personality disorders, to give the participants an understanding of wider theoretical background to the issue.
It is then followed by a panel discussion of a case presented by our local hosts, during which all workshop leaders will comment on how they might address the alliance issues. Speakers may either describe or demonstrate potential responses.
Days 2 and 3 are identical, with three parallel workshops before noon and three in the afternoon. All participants can thus participate in four workshops.
Preliminary Programme
Please note the programme is subject to changes to the timings.
All timings are in Eastern European time (UTC +02:00)
Thursday, 5 June
13:30–13:40 | Opening ceremony
13:40–15:40 | Plenary lecture
The Role of the Therapeutic Alliance in Psychotherapy Treatments: A View from the Evidence
15:40–16:00 | Coffee break
16:00–18:00 | case discussion
Friday, 6 June
9:00–13:00 | Parallel workshops
GIT-PD: Simple Principles for Common Factors in PD Treatment
How to mentalize a rupture?
Treating Therapy Interfering Behaviours in DBT
13:00–14:00 | Lunch break
14:00–18:00 | Parallel workshops
Limited reparenting in Schema Therapy: a practical way to confront patients in different phases of therapy
How to deal with high rejection sensitivity
The contribution of Transference Focused Therapy in anticipating, planning for, and managing alliance ruptures in the treatment of Personality Disorder
Saturday, 7 June
9:00–13:00 | Parallel workshops
GIT-PD: Simple Principles for Common Factors in PD Treatment
How to mentalize a rupture?
Treating Therapy Interfering Behaviours in DBT
13:00–14:00 | Lunch break
14:00–14:10 | Closing ceremony
14:20–18:20 | Parallel workshops
Limited reparenting in Schema Therapy: a practical way to confront patients in different phases of therapy
How to deal with high rejection sensitivity
The contribution of Transference Focused Therapy in anticipating, planning for, and managing alliance ruptures in the treatment of Personality Disorder
Anna Babl biosketch
Anna Babl, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology at Leiden University. She holds a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Bern and has completed postdoctoral training at Adelphi University in New York and the University of Bern. Her research focuses on transtheoretical mechanisms of change underlying psychotherapy, especially the therapeutic alliance and alliance rupture and repair, as well as innovative psychotherapy training.
Dr. Babl has contributed extensively to psychotherapy research, with over 30 peer-reviewed publications, including recent (individual patient-data) meta-analyses on alliance rupture and repair processes. She has received numerous grants and awards, including funding from the American Psychological Association and the Dutch Ministry of Education for developing and evaluating novel therapist training programs.
In addition to her research, Dr. Babl has extensive experience in psychotherapy training and education. She teaches courses on cognitive-behavioral interventions and psychopathology and has developed online therapist training programs (e.g., online Alliance-Focused Training). She serves as an associate editor of the journal Psychotherapy Research and is a member of several professional societies (including the European Society for the Study of Personality Disorders, ESSPD).
Her presentation at the ESSPD conference will synthesize the latest meta-analytic findings on the role of the therapeutic alliance and alliance rupture as well as repair, offering insights into their clinical implications and strategies for enhancing psychotherapy effectiveness, particularly for populations with personality disorders.
Amy Gaglia Essletzbichler biosketch
Amy Gaglia Essletzbichler is an accredited Dialectical Behaviour Therapist Supervisor (SfDBT). She is a consultant trainer in DBT with BiDBT. Previously she was the Co-Deputy Director of the PG Dip in DBT at Bangor University, which is a programme funded by Higher Education England. She volunteers with the Society for DBT in the UK and Ireland and is currently in the role as the Chair of the Board.
Amy has been practicing DBT since 2002 and was originally trained in DBT as part of her Master in Social Work (MSW) which included her second year internship in DBT at New York Hospital’s Payne Whitney Outpatient and Day Hospital DBT Programs. She was a founding member and team manager of the NHS Newham DBT Team between 2003-2008, which involved completely intensive training in DBT 2004 in Northampton, USA from BTech. Amy then spent 2008-2009 establishing a DBT informed transitional living programme for people with severe and enduring mental illness in for Project Transition in Philadelphia, PA, USA. She also worked in DBT in the NHS South London and the Maudsley adult service.
Amy’s research background includes participation in an RCT on DBT versus Treatment as Usual for Self-Harm published in October 2012 and as well as a follow up article regarding dropout from DBT in the NHS. Amy is a trained DBT adherence rater: DBT ACI and DBT ACS. Amy’s doctoral research (completed 2023) is on adherence in consultation team and other processes related to the therapist in their practice of DBT.
Babette Renneberg biosketch
Babette Renneberg is Professor of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy at Freie Universität Berlin, Germany. She is head of the university outpatient clinic for psychotherapy and of the ZGFU, a training institute for child and adolescent psychotherapy. She is a licensed psychological psychotherapist, supervisor and trainer in CBT.
Focus of her research are personality disorders and social anxiety disorders as well as the role of social factors in mental disorders. She has developed innovative CBT treatment programs for particularly impaired groups: e.g. for people with extreme social anxiety, severely burnt patients with scars and disfigurements, and mothers with small children who face particular problems in parenting due to their borderline personality disorder.
Charlotte Rosenbach biosketch
Charlotte Rosenbach is Professor for Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy at Health and Medical University Erfurt, Germany. She is licensed cognitive behavioral therapist. In her research, she focuses on rejection sensitivity, translated and published questionnaires to assess Rejection Sensitivity and is currently developing cognitive-behavioral treatment modules for patients with high rejection sensitivity.
Further research interests: Borderline Personality Disorder, parenting with mental disorders, reproductive medicine and mental health.
Chris Korevaar biosketch
Msc. Chris Korevaar is a Clinical Psychologist / Psychotherapist. He works as a clinical psychologist at an outpatient mental healthcare institution. He applies Schema therapy both individually and in groups with adult patients as well as young adults. Chris is supervisor and trainer for the International Society of Schema Therapy (ISST) and the Dutch Institute of Schema Therapy.
Joost Hutsebaut biosketch
Joost Hutsebaut is a clinical psychologist, working as a therapist and researcher at de Viersprong,
a specialized center for the assessment and treatment of personality disorders in the Netherlands. He
mainly works with young people with (emerging) borderline PD and their families in an MBT-based
early intervention program. He also co-authored the Quality manual for MBT and studied the
implementation of MBT in the Netherlands. He’s the principal investigator of the Assessment research
line of de Viersprong and conducted research on the Alternative Model for Personality Disorders.
Joost is also related to the Dutch Center of Expertise on Personality Disorders and co-authored the
Guideline-Informed Treatment for Personality Disorders, a nation-wide project to improve
management of personality disorders. He published several research and general papers on young
people with PD, assessment of level of personality functioning, and generic treatment for PDs.
Svenja Taubner biosketch
Svenja Taubner is a clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst and serves as full professor and director at the Institute for Psychosocial Prevention and Psychotherapy at the University of Heidelberg in Germany. She studied in Bremen and had scientific positions at the Universities Bremen, Ulm, Kassel and Berlin and was fellow at the Hanse Institute of Advanced Study before she was appointed full professor at the University of Klagenfurt, Austria.
Among her many interests is clinical applications, development and research on mentalization based treatments, transgenerational transmission of trauma and the psychological understanding and treatment of aggression. She is president of the MBT-D-A-CH (MBT association in German-speaking countries) and member of the German Scientific Psychotherapy Chamber. Currently, she is deputy spokesperson of the inerdisciplinary DFG-research training program on ”Ambivalent Enmity”.
Tennyson Lee biosketch
Tennyson Lee (FRCPsych, M. Inst. Psychoanal., FFCH (SA)) is a Consultant Psychiatrist in Medical Psychotherapy and a psychoanalyst and member of the British Psychoanalytical Society. He is clinical lead at DeanCross Personality Disorder Service. He serves on the International Society of Transference Focused Psychotherapy certification board. He is lead on a TFP training project which has held courses in China, South Africa, Italy, UK, India and Malaysia. He is an accredited Mentalization Based therapist and is on the Clinical Register of the International Neuropsychoanalysis Society.
He is Co-Director of the Centre for Understanding of Personality (CUSP), a research unit linked to Oxford University and Queen Mary University, London. He teaches on Personality Disorder nationally and abroad and has spoken on narcissism on BBC radio 4. He is also a seminar leader on a series on Narcissism at the Post Foundation Course of the Institute of Psychoanalysis.
Plenary lecture
Thursday 13:40–15:40
The Role of the Therapeutic Alliance in Psychotherapy Treatments: A View from the Evidence
Dr Anna Babl (Leiden University, Department of Clinical Psychology, Netherlands)
The therapeutic alliance—the bond, goals, and tasks shared between therapist and patient—is one of the most powerful predictors of psychotherapy outcomes. This plenary lecture will thus explore the critical role of the alliance for treatment success, grounded in cutting-edge empirical evidence. The quality of this relationship and its impact on the therapeutic process across diverse modalities will be examined, supported by meta-analytic research (Flueckiger et al., 2018; 2022).
A central focus will be on alliance ruptures, which occur in most therapy sessions and can significantly undermine progress if not addressed effectively. Different rupture types—such as withdrawal vs. confrontation—will be identified, along with therapist and patient factors that contribute to these disruptions. Recent meta-analytic research (Eubanks et al., 2018; Babl et al., 2025) will demonstrate the profound impact of unresolved ruptures on treatment outcomes, emphasizing the necessity of effective rupture repair.
Practical, evidence-based strategies for managing ruptures will be presented, including immediate and expressive repair strategies, supported by case vignettes illustrating successful rupture repair across various therapeutic approaches. The complexities of working with patients with personality disorders will also be explored, highlighting the unique challenges in alliance formation and repair for this group.
Finally, emerging trends in therapist training, such as online alliance-focused training (AFT), will be discussed, along with future research directions on alliance ruptures and repair processes. This lecture will offer a comprehensive, evidence-informed framework for enhancing therapeutic effectiveness by addressing alliance ruptures, ultimately optimizing psychotherapy outcomes.
*Muran, J.C. & Eubanks, C.F. (2020). Therapist performance under pressure: Negotiating emotion, difference & rupture. APA Books
Chapter 2 – The Science of the Therapist Under Pressure
Chapter 3 – From Emotion to Rupture
Chapter 4 – From Emotion to Repair
Workshop 1
Friday & Saturday 9:00–13:00
GIT-PD: Simple Principles for Common Factors in PD Treatment
Prof. Joost Hutsebaut
Most evidence-based treatments for personality disorders (PDs) rely on complex theoretical and methodological frameworks. This complexity can hinder their proper implementation, especially by less-experienced professionals working with patients with PDs. The Guideline-Informed Treatment for Personality Disorders (GIT-PD) aims to simplify the treatment framework, enhancing the adaptability of treatment-as-usual to the specific needs of patients with PDs. By doing so, GIT-PD seeks to make effective, guideline-informed care accessible to a broader patient population.
GIT-PD is built around a set of guiding principles that operate at multiple levels: therapists, teams, clinical processes, and institutions. This workshop will specifically focus on principles for managing alliance ruptures—a common and challenging aspect of PD treatment. Through the use of demo videos and interactive exercises, we will illustrate these principles at both the therapist and team levels.
This workshop is ideal for attendees seeking straightforward, practical guidelines to navigate complex clinical challenges—either for themselves or to support their colleagues.
Workshop 2
Friday & Saturday 9:00–13:00
How to mentalize a rupture?
Prof. Svenja Taubner
Engaging the patient in a collaborative stance is core to mentalization-based treatment (MBT). Thus working with ruptures in the therapeutic alliance is needed especially when working with patients with severe interpersonal problems such as patients with personality disorders. The workshop will teach and practice skills from MBT how to address alliance ruptures and how to repair a therapist’s contribution to ruptures. Using deliberate practice, skills will be disentangled in small steps to follow. These steps will be demonstrated by video clips, live demonstrations and practiced by role play and feedback.
Workshop 3
Friday & Saturday 9:00–13:00
Treating Therapy Interfering Behaviours in DBT
Dr Amy Gaglia Essletzbichler
Within the DBT treatment hierarchy the second priority is reducing any behaviours those of the client or therapist that interfere with therapy. Typically, clients who receive DBT will have prior treatment experiences and have often been “fired” from treatment for engaging in behaviours that either made it impossible to treat them or that pushed the limits of the therapist. Linehan (1993) writes that rather than continue with the status quo, DBT would seek to actively target these very behaviours.
Workshop 4
Friday 14:00–18:00 & Saturday 14:20–18:20
How to deal with high rejection sensitivity
Prof. Babette Renneberg and Prof. Charlotte Rosenbach
Many patients with personality disorders are very sensitive to rejection. They expect interpersonal rejection as a matter of principle, they recognize signals for possible rejection prematurely and tend to react extremely to experienced or perceived rejection. Not only have these tendencies a negative impact on a person’s well-being, they are also relevant for the therapeutic alliance and may lead to difficult situations in therapy.
The workshop will focus on how patients who are highly sensitive to rejection can be recognized and treated in psychotherapy and will address the particular challenges associated with rejection sensitivity in the psychotherapeutic process through role plays.
Workshop 5
Friday 14:00–18:00 & Saturday 14:20–18:20
The contribution of Transference Focused Therapy in anticipating, planning for, and managing alliance ruptures in the treatment of Personality Disorder
Dr. Tennyson Lee
Transference Focused Psychotherapy is an evidenced based structural and structured approach to the assessment and treatment of patients with personality disorder.
In this workshop I will cover how a structural and structured approach addresses the alliance ruptures which are inevitable in working with patients with personality disorder.
Objectives of workshop
- To illustrate how the structural approach (using the object relations dyad and key dimensions of personality) helps with diagnosing and formulating the patient.
- To illustrate how the structured approach helps in assessment, setting treatment objectives, setting of the treatment frame (through the use of the treatment contract), and management of subsequent breaks to the frame.
Method
The workshop will provide a short theoretical input and then encourage rich clinical discussion through presentation of a video, live questions and live role plays with audience members.
Workshop 6
Friday 14:00–18:00 & Saturday 14:20–18:20
Schema Therapy
Chris Korevaar
Therapeutic ruptures—moments of tension, misunderstanding, or disconnection between therapist and client—are inevitable in Schema Therapy. This workshop provides a practical framework to recognize, address, and repair therapy ruptures effectively when working with the concepts of schema therapy. It addresses schema’s, modes, basic needs and how to address this to the patient within the framework of limited reparenting.
The workshop will focus on the following themes:
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Identification of early warning signs of ruptures within the mode model
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Understanding of common therapist and client responses through the lens of schema modes.
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Practical techniques to repair trust and re-establish therapeutic connection by using empathic confrontation in different phases of therapy to validate client emotions and needs while setting clear therapeutic boundaries and thereby integrating corrective emotional experiences to rebuild trust and strengthen the alliance
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Use of chair work as a part of empathic confrontation.
During the experiential workshop this will be demonstrated by video clips and practiced by role play and feedback / discussion.