Clients with personality disorders experience strong, impulsive, out-of-control or over-controlled emotions. Anger is externalized or self-directed in a harmful manner. Typically, the individual has difficulty dealing with interpersonal relationships and daily stressors. The result is often suicidal feelings or dangerous, uncontrolled behavior. The initial goals of symptom relief include:

• Regulation of intense affect (emotions) and establishing a feeling of self-control
  
  
• The ability to tolerate distress without entering crisis or self-destructive cycles
  
  
• Relief from debilitating depression, anxiety, hostility and self-destructive behavior
  
  
• Control of dissociation and numbness
  
  
• Increasing feelings of effectiveness in relationships, work and parenting
  
  
• Relapse prevention for addictive behaviors

Trauma stabilization is achieved by utilizing cognitive-behavioral
principles in teaching clients to:

• Identify therapy-interfering, life-interfering or relationship-interfering behaviors
  
  
• Develop skills for modulating and expressing strong emotions, staying powerful and in control
  
  
• Become effective in dealing with problems, crises and people