1. Community Support for Consumers with Borderline Personality Disorder
Making Wise Choices
Community Support for Consumers with Borderline Personality Disorder
Davina Sanders
Healthy Futures: Inspiration, Inclusion and Integration
Needs specific strategy
Things we can take away from the learnings for other consumer groups and the successful delivery of other programs

3. What is Wise Choices Manualized group program
Designed to supplement individual treatment for consumers with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) or with BPD-like symptoms
Centered around Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) techniques
(Morton, J & Shaw, L – Spectrum, VIC, Aust)

4. Three Series
1. Introduction to Wise Choices 2. Wise Choices in Relationships 3. Values in Action
Introduciton of:
Mindfulness
Awareness of values
Avoiding avoiding
Relationships:
Acting in line with values in relationships
Relationship skills like resolving conflict
Use ACT and mindfulness skills to address difficult thts/feelings
Values in Action
Less structured
Exploration of the processes in the group
Applying all the skills
Recognition of need for accessible support and treatment for people with BPD
Rolled out Wise Choices Series 1 and Series 2
Positive feedback received from participants

5. “The amazing content covered has helped me transform my relationships and life for the better. I'm so very thankful to the facilitators they were supportive and kind caring.” “The positive validation of facilitators and other groups members. A sense of belonging to a special group whose input plus the course content has significantly helped me.” “It really helped give me some stability during a difficult time for me. The skills I have learned will benefit me significantly.”

6. Met with high attrition… why?

7. 3
KEYS

8. 3
KEYS
Wrap-Around Support

9. Group Forming and Creation3
KEYS
Group Forming and Creation

10. Facilitator Characteristics3
KEYS
Facilitator Characteristics

11. Facilitators Characteristics
Mental Health Recovery Support Workers
Tertiary degrees in Social Work, Counselling, Social Science or Nursing
Introductory ACT Training
Wise Choices Facilitator Training
- Have different teaching styles
- Facilitator’s model safe disclosure
- Minimise power differential
Need to be okay with demonstrating your own emotions and being vulnerable (professional vulnerability)
- Engage in the principles and activities yourself as facilitators
- Demonstrate the similarities between participants
Wise Choices supervision and steering group
Weekly development sessions while series is running

12. No attrition!!!

13. Depression Rating
Significant difference between entry scores (M=12.1, SD=5.51) and exit scores (M=7.3, SD=4.50); t(38)=5.76, p=0.0001

14. Anxiety Rating
Significant difference between entry scores (M=9.9, SD=4.64) and exit scores (M=7.8, SD=4.26); t(38)=2.76, p=0.01

15. Stress Rating
Significant difference between entry scores (M=11.7 SD=4.15) and exit scores (M=8.3, SD=3.97); t(38)=5.27, p=0.0001

16. Wise Choices participants
**Wise Choices participants** Christophe Langlassé Trisha Soriano Geraldine Hicks Shannon Chant Louise Bond Bec Fernandez David Wells Florence Hanna