Challenges in Defining the Therapy Relationship with Women Who Are Commonly Diagnosed as Borderline

Abstract

Attempting to define the therapy relationship with women who are commonly diagnosed as Borderline is an especially challenging task. The purpose of this article is to provide a feminist-based theoretical framework within which the therapy relationship can be defined. This includes a formulation of the origins of relationship difficulties, with an understanding of the centrality of relationships for women's development. This also includes a definition of the therapist's role as a perspective keeper who empathically communicates the reality of the patient's relational experience as it manifests within the therapy relationship. The therapist holds perspective on the impact of the client's childhood, the need for safety, the need to tolerate ambivalence, and the need to pace the process of healing.

Key Words:

• Borderline diagnosis reframed
• relational therapy