The Maltese Psychological Association (MPA) is organising a two-day seminar on the theme of 'Personality Disorder and Psychotherapy'.

Speaker Neil Gordon will be providing participants with an opportunity to critically appraise contemporary developments related to treatment approaches in working with people who are given a personality disorder diagnosis.

The seminar also aims to evaluate the challenges practitioners encounter when working with the complexity of personality disorder issues and reflect on the importance of the collaborative therapeutic relationship and the development of the working alliance with this client group.

The seminar will also critically reflect on the range of theoretical models which underpin treatment approaches and focus on the rationale for adopting an integrated approach. The role of supervision and support systems in maintaining the health of practitioners and assisting them to process their interpersonal reactions to clinical work will also be discussed.

Dr Gordon has published articles on a wide range of topics including personality disorder, organisational change, mental health education and qualitative research.

He is currently co-editing a text book on working positively with the challenges of personality disorder in a forensic setting.

The seminar, open to practitioners such as psychologists, psychotherapists, psychiatrists and counsellors, will be held on April 23 and 24 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Discounted fees are available until March 26.

For more information e-mail info@mpaonline.net or visit www.mpaonline.net.