Mentalization Based Treatment (MBT) in Help Seeking Youths With a Clinical High-Risk Condition for Psychosis (CHR-P)

The MBT for CHR-P intervention consists of 24 weekly individual psychotherapy sessions, supplemented by monthly mentalization-based family therapy sessions. Both patient and family sessions will last 50 minutes. These psychotherapeutic sessions will complement those received though NBCI by strengthening mentalizing abilities aiming to reduce or prevent detrimental outcomes, by prohibiting or restricting some usual techniques in NBCI treatment (e.g., interpretation, cognitive challenge and Socratic dialogue) and by emphasizing certain techniques (e.g., empathic validation, active management of emotional arousal) which are only sporadically and irregularly used during NBCI treatment. Overall, the program is designed to improve patients' capacity to understand their own and others' mental states and, within interpersonal settings, how these patterns contribute to conflict and psychological distress.