Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Is Transference-Focused Therapy?TechniquesTFP in Other ConditionsBenefits of TFPEffectivenessQuestions about TFPHow to Get Started

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

What Is Transference-Focused Therapy?

Techniques

TFP in Other Conditions

Benefits of TFP

Effectiveness

Questions about TFP

How to Get Started

Close

Transference-focused therapy (TFP) forborderline personality disorder (BPD)is a type ofpsychotherapythat focuses on using your relationship with your therapist to change how you relate to other people in the world. This may help you identify problematic thoughts, develop healthier behaviors, and improve social interactions.

In these types of therapies, it is presumed that your feelings about important people in your life, such as your parents or siblings, are transferred to the therapist. You then come to feel about and react to the therapist as you would to these important figures in their lives.

It is believed that through transference, the therapist can see how you interact with people and then use this information to help you build healthier relationships.

Therapists who practice transference-focused therapy for BPD believe that the key cause of BPD is related to dysfunctional relationships in childhood that continue to impactadolescentand adult relationship functioning. The theory is that through interactions with our caregivers in early childhood, we develop asense of selfas well as mental representations of others. If something goes wrong during this development, we may have difficulty forming a solid sense of self or have problems in how we relate to other people.

During TFP, people meet with their therapist twice a week. During these sessions, the therapist uses techniques from object relations theory. Object relations theory stresses the importance of social interaction in order to help people change their maladaptive behaviors.These techniques may include:

While transference-focused psychotherapy (TFP) was primarily developed for use with people who have borderline personality disorder, it may also be applicable in other issues and conditions. It may help with:

TFP may also be useful in the treatment of other personality disorders that share characteristics with BPD, includingnarcissistic personality disorder.

If you are having suicidal thoughts, contact theNational Suicide Prevention Lifelineat988for support and assistance from a trained counselor. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

If you are having suicidal thoughts, contact theNational Suicide Prevention Lifelineat988for support and assistance from a trained counselor. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.

For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

While the support for this treatment is still considered debatable, there may be some benefits of this type of therapy for the treatment of BPD. More research is needed to better determine how this approach compares to other forms of treatment, but some possible benefits include:

Preliminary research supports the use of transference-focused therapy for BPD. A 2007 randomized controlled study, one of the most rigorous forms of research, demonstrated that transference-focused therapy was equivalent todialectical behavior therapy (DBT)in reducing some of the symptoms of BPD, such as thoughts of suicide, and was better than DBT in reducing other symptoms, like impulsive behaviors or anger.

The Society of Clinical Psychology, Division 12 of the American Psychological Association, gives TFP the unusual designation of “strong/controversial research support” because findings have been mixed.

It is important to note that while the current research points to the potential efficacy of prolonged treatment with TFP, this type of therapy is still considered somewhat controversial. Further studies are needed to better understand how lasting the results of this treatment may be and whether it might be a better choice over some othertreatment modalities.

While this is promising preliminary support for the effectiveness of this treatment, it is important to note a major limitation of the 2007 randomized controlled trial: Patients in the transference-focused therapy group received more individual psychotherapy than those in the DBT condition.

While it is possible that transference-focused therapy is as good if not better than DBT atreducing symptoms of BPD, it is also possible that the improvements were due to the patients receiving more therapy. More research is needed to examine the success of this treatment.

In transference-focused therapy for BPD, the focus is on the interaction between you and the therapist. The therapist rarely gives advice or instructs you on what to do. Instead, the therapist will likely ask you many questions and help you explore your reactions during sessions.

An emphasis is placed on the current moment rather than the past. Instead of talking about how you related to your caregivers, you will spend more time talking about how you are relating to your therapist. The therapist also tends to remain neutral in this type of therapy; they will avoid giving their opinion and remain unavailable outside the therapy session except during emergencies.

Consider talking to your therapist about whether or not transference-focused therapy might work for you. They will talk you through the benefits and drawbacks of this kind of therapy and can give you a recommendation based on your unique situation.

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7 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Clarkin JF, Caligor E, Sowislo J.TFP extended: development and recent advances.Psychodyn Psychiatry. 2021 Summer;49(2):188-214. doi:10.1521/pdps.2021.49.2.188

American Psychological Association.Transference. APA Dictionary of Psychology.

Diamond D, Hersh RG.Transference-focused psychotherapy for narcissistic personality disorder: an object relations approach.J Pers Disord. 2020;34(Supplement):159-176. doi:10.1521/pedi.2020.34.supp.159

Clarkin JF, Levy KN, Lenzenweger MF, Kernberg OF.Evaluating three treatments for borderline personality disorder: a multiwave study.Am J Psychiatry. 2007;164(6):922-8. doi:10.1176/ajp.2007.164.6.922

Society of Clinical Psychology.Transference-focused therapy for borderline personality disorder. 2016.

Levy KN, Meehan B, Yeomans FE.An update and overview of the empirical evidence for transference-focused psychotherapy and other psychotherapies for borderline personality disorder. In R. A. Levy, J. S. Ablon, & H. Kächele (Eds.),Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Research. Humana Press; 2012:139-167. doi:10.1007/978-1-60761-792-1_8

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