About MBT

“Mentalizing refers to our ability to attend to mental states in ourselves and in others as we attempt to understand our own actions and those of others on the basis of intentional mental states” (Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families http://www.annafreud.org/training-research/mentalization-based-treatment-training/about-mbt/).

In short, successful mentalizing is about keeping minds in mind – yours and mine. This means we are able to notice, register and sensitively think about the emotions, thoughts, and actions we share and experience. Understanding our own mind and mental perspective as well as those of other people leads to more successful interactions and social relationships.

We all suffer impairment in our ability to mentalize from time to time. This could be as a result of physical pain or hormonal imbalance, in certain situations, and is almost always as a result of a shock or trauma. Some individuals, couples and families, and sometimes work teams or organisations suffering substantial stress can be more routinely impaired in their ability to mentalize. This leads to misunderstandings regarding emotions, thoughts and actions, resulting in breakdowns in relationships. Learning to more routinely and successfully mentalize improves functioning in all areas: mental, relational, social and work.

In particular, Mentalization Based Treatment (MBT) is an evidence-based treatment which has been shown to be highly effective in treating Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), and as a result has gained national and international attention. However MBT is now being used for a wide range of disorders.

If, as a result of an initial consultation with an individual client, it is agreed that MBT seems to be a useful course of therapy then we will provide a specifically structured framework for the work. This includes setting out the framework for the specific appointments, regular client feedback, closure of therapy, involvement of other helping professionals (e.g. GP, CMHT, psychiatrist).

Further information about MBT can be found here: http://www.annafreud.org/training-research/mentalization-based-treatment-training/.