Personality-Trait Psychotherapy is an approach to therapy that focuses on stable patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving—your personality traits—and uses those patterns as a roadmap for understanding symptoms and guiding change. Think of it as combining traditional psychotherapy with modern personality science. Triad’s clinical protocols are strongly influenced by this approach. And our founder was a student of Dr. Cheryl Glickauf-Hughes, a remarkable and renowned object relations clinician and professor in Atlanta.
The Core Idea is that instead of treating only symptoms (e.g., anxiety, depression), personality-trait psychotherapy looks at the underlying personality traits that shape how someone responds to stress, relationships, and emotions.
Common trait models used:
- The Five-Factor Model (FFM) — Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness
- Temperament models (e.g., Harm Avoidance, Reward Dependence, Novelty Seeking)
The therapy uses these traits to:
- Understand vulnerabilities
- Identify strengths
- Tailor interventions to the individual
Here’s How It Works:
Personality-trait psychotherapy typically involves:
- Assessing personality by using questionnaires or clinical interviews to understand where someone falls on key traits and then linking traits to life and behavior patterns.
For example:
High Neuroticism = sensitivity to stress, anxiety, rumination
Low Agreeableness = interpersonal conflict
Low Conscientiousness = difficulty with follow-through - Creating a targeted treatment plan
Such as:
Emotion regulation work for high Neuroticism
Interpersonal effectiveness for low Agreeableness
Habit building and structure for low Conscientiousness - Changing traits (yes, they are changeable!)
Research shows personality traits can shift through sustained behavioral and cognitive work.
Why It’s Useful
This approach helps clients understand:
- “Why do I keep doing this?”
- “Why do I react this way?”
- “How do my personality patterns shape my mental health?”
- And it gives therapists a structured, evidence-based framework for treatment planning
A Simple Example is as follows:
A person high in Neuroticism and low in Extraversion may struggle with:
- Social withdrawal
- Worry spirals
- Low mood
Therapy might combine:
- ICBT for worry
- Behavioral activation tailored to introverted preferences
- Skills for calming emotional sensitivity
Takeaway
Personality-trait psychotherapy = psychotherapy informed by stable personality patterns, using them to understand problems more deeply and tailor interventions more precisely. It is a deep dive into what makes you, you. It’s not for everyone and does require work and challenges the patient. But, if you have been to therapist, after therapist after therapist and are not getting results and are ready to move beyond basic counseling and reflective listening techniques, personality trait psychotherapy may be right for you.