Author
Ben is a graduate student in the Clinical Psychology PhD program at Penn State University. He was born in CA, but spent most of his life in the sunny South, near Atlanta, GA. He received his B.A. from Emory University in 2012 with a double major in Psychology and English. Afterwards, he spent two years as a Research Coordinator in the Emory Child and Adolescent Mood Program working with adolescents and young adults with symptoms of borderline personality disorder (BPD). His current research focuses on identifying subtypes of BPD and understanding the heterogeneity in this disorder. His recreational interests include cooking, writing, playing piano and guitar, and being barefoot.
Crossing the Distance Between You and Me
The interpersonal difficulties experienced by patients diagnosed with a personality disorder (PD) can pose difficulty in negotiating a strong therapeutic alliance between patient and therapist (Muran, Segal, Samstag, & Crawford, 1994; Stern, 1938; Vaillant, 1992; Waldinger & Gunderson, 1984). For instance, therapists of patients diagnosed with Cluster B (i.e., “dramatic, emotional, erratic”) PDs often rate […]
Benjamin N. Johnson, M.S. + 1 more
June 23, 2019
Personality Disorder & A Missed Clinical Turning Point
The interpersonal difficulties experienced by patients diagnosed with a personality disorder (PD) tend to pose great difficulty in negotiating a strong therapeutic alliance between patient and therapist (Muran, Segal, Samstag, & Crawford, 1994; Stern, 1938; Vaillant, 1992; Waldinger & Gunderson, 1984). Patients with PDs often generate intense and uncomfortable reactions in their therapists, sometimes producing […]
Lauren M. Lipner, Ph.D. + 1 more
December 12, 2018
Addressing and Managing Resistance with Internalizing Clients
Sigmund Freud originally described psychological resistance as a phenomenon wherein patients unconsciously “cling to their disease” through “tenacious” and “critical objections” in order to repress distressing thoughts, emotions and experiences as they are raised by the therapist (Freud, 1904; 1920; 1940). This understanding—a somewhat patronizing view that pitted expert doctor against oblivious patient—persisted in the […]
Sara Beth Austin, M.A. + 1 more
June 18, 2017
Stop, Drop, and Roll (With It)
Psychological resistance refers to patients’ conscious or unconscious opposition to aspects of the therapy process. When not skillfully addressed, resistance can lead to therapeutic alliance ruptures, “deteriorations in the relationship [indicated by] patient behaviors or communications that are interpersonal markers indicating critical points in therapy for exploration” (Safran & Muran, 1996, p. 447). While ruptures […]
Sara Beth Austin, M.A. + 1 more
December 31, 2016