Borderline Personality Disorder
Treatment Center

Restoring balance to the life of an individual with Borderline Personality Disorder is part of the mental health mission of The Meehl House. Mark Meehl and Debra Meehl, DD, MSW, created the Meehl Foundation and opened this facility to provide a place of hope and healing for people diagnosed with BPD throughout Texas and neighboring states. During a stay at this Gulf Coast facility, a resident learns to effectively manage all areas of his or her life in order to return home with the ability to productively engage in career and financial decisions, cultivate and grow friendships and family relationships, and use the coping strategies for living daily with BPD.

The Meehl Foundation Approach to Treating BPD

The Meehl Foundation operates The Meehl House as a holistic center serving a resident’s mind, body and spirit. As the fundamental elements of any 30 to 60 day stay, a resident will participate in at least one hour of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy and between 2 and 2 ½ hours of DBT skills training per week. Psychiatric visits, psychological testing and assessments, biofeedback, and clinical hypnosis are also ongoing parts of the treating the mind. Residents at The Meehl House also receive 24-hour access to the DBT team for crisis intervention.

Protecting, strengthening and caring for the body at The Meehl House involves learning about nutrition in order to maintain a healthy diet, creating a self-sufficiency regarding meal preparation and choices by learning to cook, and heightening an awareness of the body and setting fitness goals through a fitness club membership. Massage and acupuncture therapy, as well as hair follicle, mineral and vitamin testing, are also among the physical health-related components of the program. Meeting the spiritual needs of a resident, and helping him of her cultivate a stronger sense of the value of spiritual strength, is experienced through spiritual counseling, action and wellness planning, life coaching, art therapy, and gardening and horticulture therapy.

What is Dialectical Behavioral Therapy?

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, or DBT, is a system of psychotherapy designed to treat Borderline Personality Disorder, and other mental disorders, by reducing the symptoms associated with BPD. The four components of DBT are Mindfulness, Interpersonal Effectiveness, Distress Tolerance, and Emotional Regulation. The Mindfulness aspect of DBT groups essential skills that an individual with BPD needs to learn, including how to observe, describe and participate in life experiences, internal or external, without simply labeling them as good or bad experiences. Interpersonal Effectiveness is designed to help an individual with BPD learn to assert his or her needs while still effectively managing conflict in relationships. The skills associated with Distress Tolerance help an individual learn to tolerate distress and accept it as a natural part of life without resorting to a behavior response that could make the distress damaging to others or lead to self-destructive acts. The fourth component of DBT, Emotional Regulation, helps individuals learn to identify and manage emotional reactions.

Benefits of Using Our Residential BPD Treatment Center

Choosing the residential treatment center at The Meehl House can provide numerous benefits for an individual with BPD. 24 hour access to the DBT team allows a resident to address a distressful or emotional situation as it is occurring, and put learned DBT skills and life skills into practice immediately. The cohesiveness of the DBT team, including a psychiatrist, therapist, skills trainer, life coach and program director, means all team members are aware of the particular situation and needs of each individual. The residential treatment center also provides an atmosphere of continuous support from fellow residents, family members, visitors and the founders of The Meehl Foundation, Mark Meehl and Debra Meehl, who also live at The Meehl House.

Our residential program sets goals of emotional stability, balance, wellness planning and personal discovery for each resident. Using highly personalized treatment, the DBT team aims to help a resident create a realistic plan that can provide long-term well-being of mind, body and spirit. Daily discussions involving mental wellness, combined with resources to improve and enhance one’s life during and after treatment, allow a resident to return to function and excel once back in his or her normal environment.

More About DBT Therapy in Our Residential Setting

The Meehl House is one of the first locations in the nation to offer residential group homes providing Dialectical Behavioral Therapy for individuals with Bipolar Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder, Anxiety, Depression and Substance Abuse. The house can accommodate as many as four residents at any given time. An evaluation will determine if a candidate for DBT program meets the residency requirements.

The program is offered to men and women at least 21 years of age and no more than 70 who have been diagnosed with a mood or personality disorder and are ready to make recovery a top priority. Each resident must be medication-compliant, able to operate a motor vehicle and possess a valid drivers license and insurance. Residents also agree to participate in local addiction and co-dependency support groups as well as volunteering in the community.Due to the need for safety and well-being of the residential community, a resident cannot be a convicted sex offender, a known arsonist, or someone deemed actively psychotic.

Making plans for continuing care for each resident is a priority of the program at The Meehl House. The DBT team will work family members, local psychiatrists, therapists and community resources to facilitate and establish extended care. Access to all staff members of The Meehl House is also provided to all former residents upon their return home.

"As a couple, and based upon our own experiences, we believe that hope and healing are not just a possibility but a realistic possibility; and with proper treatment for your loved one and conscientious attention from you and others who are concerned, your relationship with your loved one can do more than survive - it can thrive!" Mark & Debra Meehl