Learn on the go: personality disorder

Welcome to Learn on the go, a Community Care Inform podcast where we discuss research, theories and practice issues, and look at what they mean for social care practitioners.This episode is about personality disorder, in itself a controversial term because many people find it stigmatising. Guests are Keir Harding and Hollie Berrigan from Beam Consultancy which provides training, consultancy and intervention for those living with complex mental health issues.They discuss why personality disorder is such a messy diagnosis. how and why practitioners need to think in a different way when working with this client group; the role of social workers, occupational therapists and those with lived experience; and the importance of building supportive, containing relationships. The questions were asked by Natalie Valios, senior content editor, Community Care Inform Adults.1:38 - what is meant by personality disorder?5:50 - how and why practitioners need to think in a different way rather than see everything through a lens of personality disorder8:21 - understanding the function of particular behaviours8:58 - the stigma associated with the diagnosis11:36 - what is the social worker's role?15: 50 - what is the occupational therapist's role?18:02 - what is the consultant lived experience practitioner's role?21: 48 - recognising strengths24:48 - the importance of building relationships26:42 - what training is available?29:13 - personality disorder diagnosis in children

Om Podcasten

Learn on the go is the Community Care Inform podcast where practitioners, trainers, consultants, academics and researchers discuss practice, research, and theories and what they mean for social workers. Listening to episodes is a convenient way to learn and refresh your knowledge when you don’t have much time to read or prefer other ways of getting information and reflecting on your practice. We’ve been recording Learn on the go on an ad hoc basis since 2017. Over these eight years our podcast audience has grown, and in 2025 we made the decision to start recording Learn on the go in seasons. We launched Season 1 Episode 1 in January 2025. During each season, episodes are released monthly on the last Friday of the month and all episodes appear on Inform Adults and Inform Children or you can subscribe to Learn on the go through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your podcasts.