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California Mental Health is a premier residential mental health facility serving clients across California. Build emotional stability and healthier relationships.
DBT and other proven approaches help you manage intense emotions and repair strained relationships. Our team meets you with consistency and zero judgment.
24/7 supervision and clinical support
Individual and group therapy sessions
Treatment plans built around you
Care for co-occurring disorders
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It encompasses a wide range of symptoms and can manifest differently in each individual. Some symptoms commonly associated with various types of personality disorders include:
Individuals may need help with a fluctuating sense of self, leading to confusion about their values, goals, and identity.
Maintaining stable and healthy relationships can be challenging due to trust issues, fear of abandonment, or an inability to connect emotionally.
A constant worry about being left behind or rejected often causes someone to act clingy or desperate in relationships.
Suspicion, paranoia, and an inherent belief that others have malicious intentions can hinder the development of trust and closeness with others.
Avoidance of social interactions, new experiences, or situations that might trigger feelings of inadequacy or embarrassment.
Difficulty managing anger, resulting in frequent outbursts, aggression, or extreme irritability, impacting relationships and overall functioning.
Individuals may describe an ongoing sense of emptiness and an inability to find purpose or satisfaction in life.
Even in social situations, individuals may experience profound feelings of isolation and alienation, struggling to connect with others.
Responding strongly to criticism or perceived rejection, often experiencing extreme emotional reactions such as rage, humiliation, or deep sadness.
Extreme discomfort or distress when faced with an unexpected change or when taken out of familiar routines and environments.
Engaging in impulsive actions without considering potential consequences or risks is a common symptom, often resulting from a lack of self-control.
Frequent and intense shifts in mood, from euphoria to intense sadness or anger, can be observed, making it difficult to regulate emotions.
Clinicians group the ten recognized personality disorders into three clusters based on shared features. Understanding the cluster can help guide the right approach, and many people share traits across more than one:
Cluster | Includes | Common Thread |
|---|---|---|
Cluster A | Paranoid, schizoid, and schizotypal | Patterns that can feel distant, guarded, or hard to relate to |
Cluster B | Borderline, narcissistic, antisocial, and histrionic | Intense emotions and unstable relationships |
Cluster C | Avoidant, dependent, and obsessive-compulsive | Marked anxiety, fear, and a need for reassurance |
| Cluster | Includes | Common Thread |
|---|---|---|
| Cluster A | Paranoid, schizoid, and schizotypal | Patterns that can feel distant, guarded, or hard to relate to |
| lCluster B | Borderline, narcissistic, antisocial, and histrionic | Intense emotions and unstable relationships |
| Cluster C | Avoidant, dependent, and obsessive-compulsive | Marked anxiety, fear, and a need for reassurance |
Many people show traits from more than one cluster, and the exact label matters less than the patterns causing distress. Our assessment focuses on how those patterns affect your relationships and daily life, then shapes treatment around them. Personality disorders also frequently co-occur with depression, anxiety, or substance use, which we screen for and address together.
We begin with a thorough evaluation to understand the specific nature of your personality disorder, including its impact on your relationships and daily functioning. This assessment guides the development of your personalized treatment plan.
DBT is a therapy backed by research, emphasizing emotional regulation, interpersonal skills, distress tolerance, and mindfulness. It has shown notable effectiveness, especially in addressing borderline personality disorder and other related personality disorders.
CBT helps individuals recognize and change unhealthy thought patterns and behaviors associated with their personality disorder. It provides practical strategies for coping with challenging situations.
In some cases, medication may be a part of your treatment plan to alleviate specific symptoms or co-occurring conditions. Our board-certified psychiatrists can provide medication management as needed.
We also draw on another evidence-based option, part of our broader Therapy Options:
ACT helps you accept difficult emotions instead of being controlled by them and commit to actions that reflect your values. For personality disorders, it can ease the shame and reactivity that often fuel conflict.
You will work one-on-one with a skilled therapist who specializes in personality disorders. Together,
Our group therapy sessions offer a supportive environment where you can connect with others who may have
It doesn’t only affect the individual but also those in their close circle. We offer family counseling and educational
Our comprehensive strategy for Personality Disorder treatment considers diverse aspects of an individual’s life,
The right amount of support tracks with how much symptoms are disrupting safety and relationships at the moment. These two Levels of Care are the usual starting points:
When self-harm risk or relationship crises make daily life feel unmanageable, residential care offers a safe, structured place to focus on new skills. You stay in a warm, home-like environment with support available at any hour and DBT built into the daily rhythm. The goal is to move through the hardest stretch safely and leave with skills you can keep using.
Once things feel steady enough to stay at home, our virtual IOP keeps DBT groups and individual therapy within reach over secure video for clients across San Jose, Santa Clara County, and the wider state. Sessions are scheduled around work, school, or caregiving so treatment fits real life.
Personality disorders are long-standing patterns, so treatment is usually measured in months to a few years rather than weeks. Many people notice meaningful change within the first several months of consistent DBT and therapy, and progress tends to build as new skills become second nature. The timeline depends on the specific disorder, any co-occurring conditions, and how much steady support surrounds you between sessions. Maintenance sessions and family involvement help protect that progress over the long run.
Both California Mental Health offices are in San Martin, minutes from San Jose in the South Bay. Stop into whichever is more convenient:
Reach us anytime at (408) 457-1453.
When you are ready to begin building stability: Contact California Mental Health at (408) 457-1453 or visit our Contact Us page for a free, confidential assessment to begin your journey toward recovery and renewed hope.
Managing a personality disorder is possible with the proper treatment and support. Get in touch with us today to arrange your first consultation. Together, we can help you improve emotional regulation, enhance your interpersonal relationships, and lead a more fulfilling life. Your journey toward emotional stability and well-being begins here at California Mental Health.
We work with the full range of personality disorders across Clusters A, B, and C, with particular experience in borderline personality disorder. Care is tailored to your specific patterns rather than a one-size-fits-all program.
DBT builds four core skills, mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotional regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness, that directly target the intense emotions and relationship strain many personality disorders bring. It has the strongest evidence base for borderline personality disorder.
Yes, we accept most major insurance plans. You can confirm your specific coverage and any costs you would owe in a minute through our Verify Insurance page before you commit to anything.
Yes. Many people do well with outpatient therapy, and our virtual intensive outpatient program delivers structured DBT support from home. Residential care is there for higher-risk or crisis periods when more structure helps.
Reach out for a confidential consultation by phone or through our Contact Us page. We will talk through what you are experiencing and outline a plan, available in person at our San Martin offices or through virtual care.
Lasting change is possible, one skill at a time. Contact California Mental Health at (408) 457-1453 or visit our Contact Us page for a free, confidential assessment to begin your journey toward recovery and renewed hope.
