Staff Nurse Perceptions of MBT Skills Training for Working With BPD in AMH

Despite expert opinion unconvinced of any value for hospitalization in caring for people with borderline personality disorder (BPD), this patient group still accounts for a significant proportion of adult acute mental health (AMH) admissions. Staff nurses generally voice negative perceptions of BPD, a view which is linked to an uncertainty of how to approach these patients, and difficulties leading to personal distress and burnout. Mentalization-based treatment (MBT) is an evidence based approach, focusing on the mental states of both self and others, developed specifically to treat BPD and facilitated successfully in specialised settings. MBT Skills training is a compact and cost effective two day workshop which equips generalist mental health nurses with a skillset enabling them to work effectively with BPD. MBT Skills training was first offered to staff nurses in Royal Cornhill Hospital, Aberdeen in 2013. This study aims to assess staff perceptions on the value of MBT skills training, evaluating how it impacts on clinical practice when working with BPD in AMH.