Service overview
We are the Intensive Management of Personality Disorders and Clinical Therapies Team (IMPACTT).
We can help you understand the challenges you might have with personality disorders, which are sometimes called complex emotional needs.
We can guide you with ways to manage both your emotions, and how you relate to others (interpersonal issues).
Accessing our service
You must be aged 18 or over, and be referred to us by your GP.
If we can accept your referral, we will arrange a One Team Mental Health Assessment with you.
Your assessment
Following your One Team Mental Health Assessment we may offer you a further specialist appointment with our IMPACTT Team so we can better understand your needs.
We’ll ask you to complete some questionnaires, either at home or when you come to your appointment. The questions will cover topics like your lifestyle and personal habits.
DBT and MBT treatment
Based on your assessment, we may provide one of two psychological treatments.
It could be Mentalization Based Treatment (MBT), or Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT).
MBT is a relational treatment. It focuses on improving your ability to understand the thoughts, feelings, and behaviours about yourself and others.
DBT is about developing skills to build the life you feel is worth living. We do this by reducing suicidal and self-harm behaviour, managing impulsive behaviours, and living in the present moment.
Both therapies are about understanding how to manage your emotions and relationships, and we’ll work with you to decide the right option to take.
Mentalization-Based Treatment (MBT)
MBT is about learning to understand and interpret the thoughts, feelings, and behaviours of yourself and others.
We use an approach called mentalising, which means reflecting on your own mental state, and others.
Learning the skills to process what you’re feeling about yourself and other can help improve dynamics in personal relationships and reduce conflicts.
MBT treatment includes a 10-week introductory psychoeducational group, which is followed by weekly group and individual sessions for 18 months.
Using a psychoeducational approach means you’ll learn more about you understand ‘personality disorder’, and how to understand and mentalise emotions in your life.
MBT-I
This is a weekly group session, and each session lasts for 1 1/2 hours.
In week 11 we offer a session for families and friends you nominate where they can also learn about personality disorder and the MBT treatment. This session is for families and friends only, so you don't need to attend.
We know that joining a group might bring feelings of anxiety, as we wonder what others think about us.
We aim to normalise these feelings through our MBT-I group, by increasing your motivation and preparing you for long-term treatment.
Weekly individual sessions
Alongside the group, you will be offered individual sessions with an MBT therapist.
You will work on creating a Relational Passport to help describe your difficulties in relationships with others, which you will share with the group.
Weekly group sessions
The group meets weekly, for 1 1/2 hours.
Sessions focus on developing your sense of self and identity (the experiential self). Therapeutic goals are achieved through shared group experiences, and understanding ourselves and others (we-mode).
Weekly topics are decided by the group on the day, based on experiences impacting their lives.
These sessions are the perfect chance to discuss and practice self-mentalising, by reflecting on our thinking and emotional states, and by being curious about other minds.
We also explore interpersonal ‘events’, and how we mentalise in close relationships.
Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT)
DBT is about developing the skills you need to build the life you feel is worth living.
DBT could help if you’re having intense emotional ups and downs, often associated with a diagnosis of Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder (EUPD) or Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD).
This could mean reducing suicidal and self-harm behaviour, managing impulsive behaviours, and improving relationships with others.
It's about learning to live in the present moment.
DBT pre-commitment
We can offer 4 to 6 sessions of pre-commitment to prepare for the DBT programme. You can use these sessions to set your goals for the therapy and learn how DBT works.
You’ll be invited onto the full DBT if we decide together that this programme feels right for you.
DBT programme
The DBT programme requires a 6 to 12 month commitment. You will attend individual therapy sessions every week, including a skills group.
You can also use our telephone tips line.
Individual therapy
Each session is around 1 hour, once per week.
These sessions focus on recent or upcoming situations, rather than the long-term past. It’s a great opportunity to learn and practice the coping skills you might need to manage your emotions.
We’ll provide you with a diary for you to track your emotions and actions each day, which we can talk about in your session.
This could include mental health struggles you feel are causing you to have certain emotions, and the positive steps you can take to make life feel more meaningful.
If it’s appropriate, we can also cover reducing suicidal and self-harming behaviours.
Telephone tips line
These are required as part of the individual therapist between sessions.
Our therapists offer tips on how to manage crisis, urges, or applying DBT skills. These are quite brief, and usually last around 10 minutes.
Skills group
These group sessions are about developing your resilience. They’re not group therapy.
Each session lasts up to around 2 1/2 hours, once per week.
There are four skills modules:
- Module 1 - Mindfulness: being aware and focused on the present moment instead of stressing about the past or worrying about the future
- Module 2 - Emotion regulation: understanding emotions and how to manage them
- Module 3 - Distress tolerance: learning how to cope with very difficult or stressful times without doing harmful things
- Module 4 - Interpersonal effectiveness: learning how to ask for what we need and saying no, self respect, making friends, and letting go of unhealthy relationships
Carer support
Carers’ Awareness Tools and Support (CATS) is group programme.
It aims to increase knowledge of Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder/ Borderline Personality Disorder, and improve communication between you and your close friends and family.
We work with carers as part of the triangle of care between you, our staff, and your carer, to improve recovery and wellbeing.
View our Friends, Family and Carers pages for more about the support available for carers.
Books
You can find more information about personality disorders in the following books, which you may be able to find in local libraries, or you can buy them online.
- Stop walking on Eggshells: Taking Your Life Back When Someone You Care About Has Borderline Personality Disorder, by Kreger Randy and Paul Mason
- The Borderline Personality Disorder: Everything You Need to Know About Living with BPD, by Alex Chapman and Kim Gratz
- Overcoming Borderline Personality Disorder: A Family Guide for Healing and Change, by Valerie Porr
- Oprah Winfrey and Dr Bruce Perry (2022). What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing
- Rachel Reiland (2018). Get Me Out Of Here: My Recovery from Borderline Personality Disorder
- Marsha Linehan (2020). Building a Life Worth Living: A Memoir
- Bessel Van Der Kolk (2015). The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma
Your e-Health Passport
Your e-Health Passport lets us know what's important to you - from your preferred name and pronouns to how you'd like us to support you and communicate with you.
Learn moreContact us and FAQs
Erlegh House
Understanding and Managing Personality Disorders
Contact number: 0300 365 8000
Email: IMPACTT.team@berkshire.nhs.uk
Post Address: RG6 6BZ
Location detailsAthena Centre
Understanding and Managing Personality Disorders
Contact number: 0300 365 8000
Email: IMPACTT.team@berkshire.nhs.uk
Post Address: SL1 2BJ
Location detailsFrequently asked questions
Why do I need to complete assessment questionnaires?
We use questionnaires along with other methods to help us track your progress against treatment over time, for both your mental and physical wellbeing.
Your answers can help us understand your current difficulties in a particular moment, and areas we can focus on in your therapy.
How much detail should I include in my questionnaire answers?
We encourage you to complete your questionnaires as honestly as you can.
We understand that you might find it difficult to explain your experiences in a single answer, and that your feelings may change every day.
We suggest writing about how you have felt over the past week.
Remember that the questionnaires are not an assessment of you, or a test.
They’re a measure that help us make sure you’re receiving support that is right for you.
We can also help you with
Is there any information for friends, family and carers?
If you’re a family member, carer, or you look after someone, there’s practical, financial, and emotional support available from a range of local communities and national organisations.
How do I request an interpreter?
We can provide language translation and interpretation support.
Tell our staff which language you prefer to use, and we will make sure the right communication support is in place for your assessment and treatment. Please let us know as early as possible so we can ensure the appropriate translation or interpreting support is available.
We offer a range of professional services to ensure everyone can understand and be understood:
- Telephone interpreting
- Video remote interpreting (VRI)
- Face‑to‑face interpreting
- Written translation
- British Sign Language (BSL) interpreting
How can I get information in an accessible format?
Anyone with a disability, impairment, or sensory loss has the right to get information in a format that meets their needs.
The Accessible Information Standard (AIS) is a legal requirement for all health and adult social care providers. This means making sure that people who use our services, including carers and families, can understand our information and communicate with us easily.
We can offer information in a range of accessible formats, including:
- British Sign Language (BSL)
- Large print
- Braille
- Audio
- Easy read
- Text message
- Face‑to‑face support with a carer or advocate present
If you need information in any of these formats, please tell a member of our team and we will make sure your communication needs are met.
Are service dogs allowed to my appointment?
Yes, you are welcome to bring your registered service animal, such as a guide dog, hearing dog, medical alert dog, or other trained assistance dog to your appointment.
These animals are recognised as essential support and are permitted in most areas of our services.
To help us prepare, please let the team know before your appointment if you will be attending with a service animal. This allows us to make sure the environment is safe and comfortable for you, your animal, and other patients.
Please note that service animals may not be able to enter certain restricted clinical areas for safety or infection‑control reasons, but we will always work with you to find an appropriate alternative.
What does it mean to treat our team with respect?
Respect is important.
We will be polite and kind and we expect that you treat our staff in the same way.
Abuse, hate and discrimination against our staff is unacceptable.
We will take strong action against anyone who is verbally, racially, physically, or sexually abusive to them.
This may include contacting the police to prosecute, and stopping future access to our healthcare services.
How do I find my NHS number?
The easiest way to find your NHS number is using the official NHS online service which can be accessed below.
You may also want to read our guidance page for more information about other ways to find your NHS number or what to do if you cannot find yours.
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