Personality disorders are often conceptualized as enduring patterns of maladaptive behavior and interpersonal dysfunction, yet emerging integrative approaches highlight the role of early trauma, attachment disruptions, and deeply held beliefs about safety, relationships, and self-worth. Control-Mastery Theory (CMT), a trauma-informed psychodynamic framework, offers a clinically accessible model for understanding personality pathology as an adaptive response to early relational injury rather than fixed character deficits.

This training introduces Control-Mastery Theory as an integrative framework for treating personality disorders across clinical settings. Participants will explore how pathogenic beliefs—formed in response to trauma, neglect, or inconsistent caregiving—shape emotional dysregulation, relational patterns, and treatment resistance. The course emphasizes how clients unconsciously “test” therapists to determine whether new, healthier relational experiences are possible, and how clinicians can respond in ways that promote psychological safety and change. Emphasis will be placed on recognizing tests, supporting patient agency, and helping clients relinquish pathogenic beliefs while maintaining an empathic, collaborative therapeutic relationship.

Upon completion of this training, participants will be able to:

• Describe the core principles of Control-Mastery Theory, including the development of pathogenic beliefs, unconscious testing, and the role of the therapeutic relationship in psychological change.
• Apply Control-Mastery Theory to the assessment and treatment of personality disorders, integrating CMT concepts with existing therapeutic approaches such as CBT, ACT, DBT, and trauma-informed care.
• Identify and respond effectively to patient “tests” in therapy, using interventions that foster safety, challenge pathogenic beliefs, and support emotional regulation and relational growth