There are about ten Personality Disorder Study Groups across the United States and Canada sanctioned by IASPP. Each provides postdoctoral, post-masters, or inservice educational study in the personality disorders in the context of peer supervision and discussion. Completion of a course of study leads to a Diploma of Attendance, granted by IASPP, and the receipt of Continuing Eduction credits (30 or 60 credits, depending on the group's schedule), in conjunction with NCS Assessments. NCS Assessments is approved by the American Psychological Association to offer Category I continuing education for psychologists.

Study group leaders usually hold the highest degree in their field, be it clinical psychology, psychiatry, or social work. To start a study group under the auspices of IASPP, mail or email (IASPP@AOL.COM) a letter of interest and a copy of your resume to our address (IASPP, 5400 SW 99th Terrace, Coral Gables, FL 33156). You may want to have a close colleague join with you to serve as a co-leader to assist in presentations and discussions. Participants usually hold an advanced degree in their discipline. Master's level graduate students from academic programs are allowed to attend at the disgression of the Study Group Leader.

The Institute supports your efforts in three ways:

IASPP does not serve as an official certifying body, and places no legal or economic restraints on your work. Similarly, the Institute carries no legal or economic responsibility for your efforts as a study group leader or participant. Members are not required to adopt any particular theoretical orientation to lead or attend a study group. In fact, since thinking about personality intrinsically requires the integration of cognitive, behavioral, psychodynamic, interpersonal, and neurobiological domains, theoretical dogmatism is inconsistent with the nature of the construct. Moreover, a diverse source of perspectives typically enriches the group experience. Likewise, the Disorders of Personality text offers an eclectic conception of the subject. A study group thus offers the opportunity to explore different diagnostic and therapeutic approaches within the context of an open-minded atmosphere. Leaders have full freedom to draw upon additional readings from perspectives other than those articulated in the text. Nevertheless some consistency with IASPP's recommended format and course sequence is necessary to justify the awarding of continuing education credits and diplomas.

Most of the study groups now in existence consist of from ten to twenty members, including the leader and facilitator. The single best source of group participants are your fellow professionals, those in other private or group practices, community mental health centers, county psychological associations, and frequent referral sources.

Beyond your own friends, colleagues, and acquaintances, we have composed a two-sided flyer that can be personalized and sent to other professionals in your community. The flyer contains much of the same information that appears on our web page.

The first meeting could be an informal get-together of potential participants. The goal of the first meeting should be to introduce the concept of a study group, discuss the course format, and tailor the course content to the needs of the potential participants. The study group leader typically introduces himself or herself, has the potential participants introduce themselves and their specializations, outlines the suggested content, and notes that either of two meeting schedules can be chosen (see below). Participants are then asked to select a disorder that they will present to the group, to be accompanied by an actual case study. Case discussion may focus on the course of therapy, include various objective and projective assessment results, or both. Once these presentations are scheduled and any additional questions are answered, and the first meeting ends.

Study groups currently meet for one or two years, depending on the preference of the members.

The two-year program consists of  20 three-hour sessions that extend over a period of 24 months. Participants meet once a month. In the more academic sessions (chapters 1 through 5 of Disorders of Personality), the SG leader may ask one or two well-selected participants to help facilitate discussion of the ideas and content of the chapters. In the clinical disorders chapters (chapters 6 through 20), sessions should be divided into two parts of roughly 90 minutes each. In the first 90 minutes, the leader and one or two participants invited beforehand  present the history, and clinical characteristics of the disorder under study. In the second 90 minutes, a participant or two will have the opportunity to present an actual case that illustrates the characteristics of the personality disorder, with an emphasis given to treatment issues. Although this format may be conceived of as a seamless progression, for administrative reasons it may be helpful to think of it as four semesters consisting of five sessions each.

First Semester: Session one focuses on therapy of personality disorders (Ch 5). Session two continues with personality assessment (Ch 4). These chapters offer broad-based discussion and set the foundation for the clinical chapters that follow.  Session three focuses on the Borderline Personality (Ch 18). Session four turns to the Narcissistic Personality (Ch 11). Session five examines the Depressive Personality (Ch 8).

Second Semester: Session one focuses on alternate conceptual models for  personality (Ch 2). In sequence, the semester progresses through four clinical chapters, Schizoid (Ch 6), Avoidant (Ch 7), Dependent (Ch 9), and Histrionic (Ch 10).

Third Semester: Session one focuses on developmental pathogenesis (Ch 3), followed in sequence by four clinical chapters: Antisocial (Ch 12), Sadistic (Ch 13), Obsessive-Compulsive (Ch 14), and Negativistic (Ch 15).

Fourth Semester: The final semester brings us back to Chapter 1, the introductory chapter to the book. This reversal permits group the opportunity to appraise whether the book achieved its goals. Four clinical chapters follow, beginning with Masochistic (Ch 16), one likely to evoke controversy, then the Schizotypal (Ch 18), the Paranoid (Ch 19) and finally the Decompensated (Ch  20), with its brief discussion of the Terminal personality, a suitable theme to end the full course.

A second course format, pioneered by Joan Truitt and Harlan Higgins in Indianapolis, allows the program to be completed in one year. First, an intensive one day, six-hour Workshop introduces the topic of personality disorders to participants. Next, a series of three-hour monthly programs over an eight month period are scheduled to discuss and peer-supervise members on each of the clinical disorders.

Workshop: This six-hour session is best scheduled on a weekend day and should cover the material of the first five chapters of Disorders of Personality. Handouts can be prepared to be distributed to all workshop attendees, and should summarize the major content areas presented, namely, history, assessment, development, and therapy. A videotape is shown to illustrate the various personality disorders. Depending on the location, time, and number of likely participants, a Training Instructor from the Institute may be able to schedule a presentation at this initial workshop (usually at a modest fee for travel expenses, lodging, and honorarium, to be assumed by participants).

Monthly Sessions: The study format is similar to the 2-year model, except that the first five chapters have already been covered. Clinical material is consolidated into eight subsequent session, which cover two disorders each, which may be grouped in pairs (for example., schizoid and avoidant), to illustrate commonalities and contrasts. The exact sequence is determined by the group.

Tuition is determined by the study group leader.

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