Mentalisation-Based Therapy (MBT)

‘Mentalisation’ is the ability to think about thinking. This means examining thoughts and beliefs, and assessing whether they’re useful and realistic. In addition, it is helpful to learn to be aware of the potential impact your actions have on other people’s mental states. Understanding other people’s intentions is central to MBT.

Rather than focusing solely on symptoms, Mentalisation-Based Therapy emphasises understanding the mental states that influence behaviour, helping people make sense of emotional and interpersonal experiences. MBT encourages curiosity about thoughts, feelings and intentions in both yourself and others.

Mentalisation-Based Therapy can be helpful for people experiencing overwhelming emotions, relationship challenges, anxiety, depression, trauma-related difficulties, and personality-related concerns such as borderline personality disorder.

Yes. MBT places particular emphasis on understanding yourself and others within relationships. By improving your ability to interpret thoughts, feelings, intentions, and behaviours, MBT can help strengthen communication, reduce misunderstandings, and support healthier relationships with partners, family members, friends, and colleagues.

Many people find that improving their capacity to mentalise helps them better understand and manage intense emotions. By becoming more aware of the links between thoughts, feelings, and behaviours, individuals often develop greater emotional stability and resilience.

Yes. MBT is an evidence-based psychological therapy that has been extensively researched. It was originally developed to support people experiencing significant difficulties with emotional regulation and relationships, and its application has since expanded to a wider range of mental health concerns.