Our Beginnings
From One Conversation to a Global Movement
BPD Alliance began in 2001, at a time when individuals and families affected by borderline personality disorder (BPD) and chronic emotion dysregulation faced significant challenges—many of which persist today. Reliable information was limited, effective treatment was unevenly available, and misunderstanding was common.
At the center of the organization’s founding was Perry Hoffman, PhD—a psychologist, educator, and advocate whose clinical work with individuals and families revealed a persistent gap between what people needed and what existing systems provided. Rather than accept that gap, she set out to build something new.
Where the Vision Took Shape
That vision took concrete form on August 20, 2001, at New York-Presbyterian Westchester Division in White Plains, New York. A small working group gathered to talk candidly about unmet needs surrounding BPD. The group included Perry Hoffman, two individuals in recovery, and their family members.
What made that meeting different was not expertise alone, but who was in the room. Individuals with lived experience, families, and a clinician sat together—sharing what had helped, what had harmed, and what was missing. By the end of the day, there was a shared conviction that progress required collaboration across roles that were usually kept separate.
From that conversation, the National Education Alliance for Borderline Personality Disorder (NEABPD) was formed.
Clinical Insight Meets Family Experience
Perry Hoffman was uniquely positioned to lead this work. She trained directly with Marsha Linehan and was among the first clinicians outside Seattle to learn Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). She later directed the DBT day treatment program at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. Her work placed her at the intersection of evidence-based practice and the everyday realities of families living with BPD.
In both her clinical practice and research—including her work with Jill Hooley on family interactions in BPD—Hoffman saw the same pattern repeatedly: families were deeply invested in their loved ones’ recovery but lacked practical guidance, and were often excluded from care or viewed as part of the problem. NEABPD was founded on a different premise—that families, when supported with education and skills, are essential partners in care.
Turning Points That Shaped the Organization
Several key decisions defined the organization’s direction:
Family Connections™ was created with Dr. Alan Fruzzetti and family members as a structured, skills-based program for relatives of individuals with BPD.
Managing Suicidality and Trauma Recovery (MSTR) was developed to support parents whose children had experienced suicide attempts or severe self-harm.
The organization committed to offering both Family Connections and Managing Suicidality and Trauma Recovery free of charge.
With support from the National Institute of Mental Health, NEABPD convened national conferences that brought individuals with lived experience, families, clinicians, and researchers together—groups rarely in dialogue at the time.
NEABPD helped establish BPD Awareness Month and organized Congressional briefings focused on suicide prevention and early intervention.
BPD Alliance expanded internationally through affiliated programs, extending education and support beyond the United States in more than 30 countries.