This groundbreaking volume presents a framework for understanding personality disorders in children, distinguishing them from more frequently diagnosed problems, and delivering effective interventions. Efrain Bleiberg draws on extensive clinical experience and cutting-edge neurobiological research to illuminate how specific personality disorders develop when children—and caregivers—become trapped in rigid, maladaptive patterns of feeling, coping, and relating. Strategies are described for integrating individual psychotherapy, family treatment, and pharmacotherapy to provide meaningful help to this highly challenging population. With particular attention to building and maintaining a strong therapeutic alliance, the book includes case vignettes and transcripts that bring each stage of treatment to life.

Winner—Gradiva Award, National Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis