Metaconitive Interpersonal Therapy

Metacognitive Interpersonal Therapy (MIT) involved in the last two decades by Giancarlo Dimaggio and his team. MIT for personality disorder is based on a structured and manualized set of procedures aimed at guiding the clinicians’ action dealing with these difficult patients from the very first session to the treatment conclusion.

The model focus on eight key areas, which usually are compromised in personality disorders patients:

  • Impoverished narratives / intellectualizing narrative style

  • Limited or fluctuating sense of agency

  • Pathogenic interpersonal schemas

  • Dysfunctional Interpersonal Cycles

  • Recurring mental states

  • Metacognitive dysfunctions

  • Maladaptive forms of coping and cognitive biases

  • Problems of emotional regulation






Selected Recent papers:

1) Dimaggio, G. (2021). Treatment principles for pathological narcissism and narcissistic personality disorder. Journal of Psychotherapy Integration https://doi.org/10.1037/int0000263

2) Popolo, R., MacBeth., A., Lazzerini, L., Brunello, S., Venturelli. G., Rebecchi, D., Morales, F & Dimaggio, G. (2021). Metacognitive Interpersonal Therapy in Group (MIT-G) vs TAU+waiting list for young adults with personality disorders: Randomized clinical trial. Personality Disorders: Theory, Research & Treatment. DOI: 10.1037/per0000497

3) Centonze, A., Popolo, R., MacBeth, A. & Dimaggio, G. (2021). Building the alliance and using experiential techniques in the early phases of psychotherapy for Avoidant Personality Disorder. Journal of Clinical Psychology: In Session, 77, 1219-1232. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.23143

4) Cheli, S., Cavalletti, V., Popolo, R. & Dimaggio, G. (2021). A case study on a severe paranoid personality disorder client treated with metacognitive interpersonal therapy. Journal of Clinical Psychology: In Session. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.23201

5) Pasetto, A., Misso, D., Velotti, P. & Dimaggio, G. (2021). Metacognitive Interpersonal Therapy for Intimate Partner Violence: A Single Case Study. Partner Abuse, 12, 64-79. http://dx.doi.org/10.1891/PA-2020-0016