Internal Family Systems Therapy for Borderline Personality Disorder

Recruiting now · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)

In brief

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) involves intense emotional ups and downs, unstable relationships, impulsivity, and a poor sense of self. These challenges often lead to addiction, self-harm, and frequent use of healthcare services. While certain treatments already in practice - such as dialectical behavior therapy - can help, they don't work for everyone or address all aspects of the disorder. This study plans to explore internal family systems (IFS) therapy, a method that views the mind as made up of different "parts" - each with its own thoughts and feelings. IFS helps people build understanding and compassion toward these parts and connect with a calmer, more centered "Self." This may be especially useful for those with BPD, who often feel fragmented and extremely critical of themselves and others. This will be the first study to examine internal family systems therapy for BPD. The participants (15 in total) will receive up to 50 individual sessions over 15 months. Changes in symptoms and overall mental health will be measured at four points during the study. People with lived experience of BPD will help shape the research to ensure it is relevant, respectful, and useful for others facing similar challenges.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT07342907

Run by

Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care

People needed

15

Starts

2026-02-01

Expected to finish

2028-12-01

Last updated by the study team

2026-01-16

Who can join

Age: 18 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Resident of Ontario, Canada;
• Sufficient fluency in English to provide informed consent, participate in therapy sessions, and complete self-reported assessments;
• Diagnosis of borderline personality disorder confirmed by a healthcare professional authorized to establish such a diagnosis in Ontario;
• Willingness and ability (including financial means) to participate in the 50-session, 12-15-month intervention and the study assessments;
• Capacity and willingness to provide written informed consent.

You may not qualify if…

• Current manic or psychotic symptoms regardless of diagnosis;
• Substance dependence severe enough to interfere with meaningful level of engagement in the study intervention.
• Cognitive impairment or neurological disorders that would preclude informed consent or meaningful participation in the study intervention.
• Concurrent participation in any another form of psychotherapy.

Where it is running

• Provincewide across Ontario (intervention can be delivered virtually) — Tiny, Ontario, Canada (enrolling)

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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