Borderline Personality Disorder Care at the Gunderson Residence

The Gunderson Residence is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

For more information on directions, parking, and local accommodations, please contact the program.

Our residential program focuses on treating cisgender women, transgender women, and nonbinary individuals assigned female at birth with personality disorders, including those whose borderline personality disorder is complicated by other mental health conditions.

Family involvement, with the permission of the patient, is highly encouraged and can have a profound impact on treatment and recovery.

At the Gunderson Residence, family members—most commonly parents and/or spouses—will be assigned to work with a family therapist weekly or every other week, in person or over the phone. Additionally, we provide web-based family education seminars.

The Gunderson Residence is non-smoking. No e-cigarettes are allowed. We can assist with smoking cessation as needed.

Visitors are permitted, following program policies. Visiting hours are Sundays 8am-12pm and visits are arranged in concert with the clinical team, family, and patient.

Please speak to the patient’s treatment team for more information. Additional details can be found on the Visitors page.

At the Gunderson Residence, technology (including, but not limited to, cell phones and computers) are held by the program upon arrival. Following completion of the first phase of treatment, patients are considered for technology privileges. At this point, the individual and their treatment team make a technology usage plan that works best with their treatment goals.

Those who are permitted to hold and use their cell phones and computers, must follow guidelines to prevent disruption of the program and other patients. Cameras and other recording devices are not allowed. Technology may be confiscated if not used appropriately.

Privacy is of the utmost importance to Gunderson, and we ensure confidentiality through our highly trained, professional, and discreet staff.

No third party, whether known to the patient or not, has access to medical records, health information, or any information about a patient’s stay without prior written authorization from the individual.

From helpful online resources to self-help groups and more, McLean Hospital is committed to providing support and mental health education to aid patients and families on the path to recovery.

At the Gunderson Residence, we hold private, weekly webinars for family members to help educate them, provide regular patient updates, and address concerns and questions they may have.

To complement our program’s services and encourage individuals’ initiatives in their own treatment course, many self-help groups are hosted by McLean.

The treatment team works closely with the individual as well as with family, significant friends, and outside providers to develop a personalized aftercare plan. Recommendations by staff are made based upon clinical needs, progress made during treatment, and long-term treatment goals.

All requests for medical records should be directed to McLean’s Health Information Management Department.

McLean is dedicated to maintaining high-quality and effective patient care. To ensure that those standards remain at the highest level, we utilize a number of feedback instruments and quality indicators.

Among these tools are the Perceptions of Care survey, which monitors patient satisfaction, and BASIS-24™, a psychiatric outcomes measurement tool created at McLean and widely used in the U.S. and around the world, which delivers feedback on the patient care experience.

Clinical services such as:

• Twice weekly psychotherapy (appointments are a privilege and can be lost if the patient cannot meet expectations of the program)
• Medication management
• Group therapy
• Family therapy
• Family educational online webinar offered 2-4 times monthly
• Nursing care and coordination
• Clinical residential counselors skills coaching
• Treatment review and case management as needed

Non-clinical services:

• Private room
• Meals and beverages
• Linens and laundry detergent
• Membership to gym
• Weekly Sunday outings to nearby museums, movie theaters, outdoor activities, etc.
• Holiday activities

Clinical services including:

• Medications: prescribed and over-the-counter
• Internal medicine, medical, or neurological consultations
• Neuropsychological and psychological testing
• Sleep study
• Physical therapy
• Pain management
• Medical, gynecology, and dental care

Non-clinical services:

• Toiletries
• Supplemental snacks
• Transportation outside program outings
• Spa services (hair, nails, etc.)

For those who require Kosher meals, we work with a Kosher catering company for an additional cost.