Using Transference-Focused Psychotherapy (TFP) Principles in the National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom (UK)

The availability of treatment for patients with personality disorder (PD) diagnoses in the National Health Service (NHS) of the United Kingdom (UK) is uneven, ranging from services with relatively limited resources and a dearth of specialized approaches, to centers of excellence offering high quality, empirically validated treatments. The goal of this chapter is to outline the place of transference-focused psychotherapy (TFP) in the UK’s highly regarded system of comprehensive, government-supported care. We review the need for specialized treatment services for PD patients within the NHS and the range of services offered that put into context the introduction of TFP in recent years. We describe the collective experience of NHS clinicians in offering a weekly, TFP-informed treatment that adapts the TFP format to the specifications of a nationalized healthcare structure. Finally, we examine different NHS pilot programs integrating TFP principles in their work and the related teaching initiatives on TFP principles. We conclude by providing details about a novel, innovative use of applied TFP in engagement with old-age PD patients.