BASE treatment was designed to be a foundation for people who suffer from Borderline Personality Disorder that can help  them to stay alive - to control the emotional reactivity and impulsivity that leads to self-injury, suicide attempts and repeated hospitalizations. This foundation consists of the first 3 months of intensive treatment (e.g. Day therapy) or 6 months of outpatient treatment 1-2 times per week.  Once this foundation is established, further psychotherapeutic work can be done to deal with the interpersonal relationships, abandonment issues, emptiness and identity work that most people who have BPD usually struggle with. or this additional work,changing  underlying core schemas that are a combination of cognitions,  beliefs and emotional patterns, Schema Therapy (ST) is proving to be very effective. See the page on this treatment for more details.ST has been shown in a large scale study to lead to remission of BPD in a majority of people after two years of weekly individual psychotherapy sessions. The randomized controlled trial of 8 months of weekly Group Schema Therapy added to individual psychotherapy demonstrated very large improvements in reductions of BPD symptoms and improved overall functioning. The results of this study can be found in the Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry 2009. A pdf of this journal article is attached here.

BASE is a psychotherapy program developed by Joan Farrell, Ph.D. and Ida Shaw, M.A. This treatment integrates psychoeducation about BPD, emotional awareness work, distress management and interpersonal skills with Schema therapy (a method originally developed by Jeffrey Young, Ph.D.).

BASE is currently being studied at the Indiana University School of Medicine Psychiatry Department Center for BPD Treatment & Research. Currently a six month outpatient version of BASE is available at Midtown Mental Health Center, Fountain Square Clinic, with Dr. Heather Fretwell.. 

 BASE has 4 Goals that provide the foundation for Schema Therapy

1. Understand the disorder  

2. Develop a distress reduction plan

3. Be able to recognize pre-crisis levels of distress           

4. Weaken the maladaptive schemas   that keep them stuck and unable to use new skills 

Unlike skill based approaches like DBT, Schema Therapy goes beyond this foundation of symptom management to address improving overall quality of life - healthy relationships and fulfilling employment.

BASE - using group and individual Schema Therapy offers a new beginning for people who suffer from Borderline Personality Disorder!!

BPD is a treatable & recovery is possible!