The role of Psychological Formulation in inpatient settings in supporting staff Empathy and Therapeutic Optimism for adults diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder: A pre-and-post vignette study.

The subsequent three papers aim to explore psychological practitioners’ experience of working with service users with a diagnostic label of borderline personality disorder (BPD) and investigate the role of formulation in staff empathy and therapeutic optimism towards this service user group. Paper one, for example, reports a literature review which explores what is known about the experiences of psychological practitioners who work therapeutically with adults diagnosed with BPD. In the twelve-article review, there was some evidence to suggest that practitioners were more negative about, less empathic toward and had stronger emotional responses (e.g., frustration, anxiety) to service users with a diagnosis of BPD, particularly when compared to therapeutic work with service users with other diagnostic labels. Positive experiences however, such as hope, were also identified. Limitations of the included studies and the review process, however, indicated a need for further research in this area.

Paper two details a pre-and-post vignette study investigating the role of psychological formulation on staff empathy and therapeutic optimism, toward a service user with a presentation associated with a diagnostic label of BPD. Sixty-six mental health professionals working in NHS mental health inpatient services took part in this empirical research. Following exposure to the formulated case vignette, two constructs of empathy (i.e., perspective taking and empathic concern), and therapeutic optimism significantly increased. The clinical implications and limitations of the study are discussed, and suggestions for further research are made. Paper three presents an executive summary of this empirical paper, written for NHS staff who work in mental health inpatient services. This summary may also be relevant for those who have an interest in psychological formulation, such as mental health professionals and service users.