Clearview Treatment Programs, founded in 2000 and located in Venice Beach, Los Angeles, has established itself as one of the premier residential programs on the West Coast for the treatment of borderline personality disorder and related conditions. The Women's Mental Health Program, launched in 2008, combines comprehensive dialectical behavior therapy with mentalization-based treatment and somatic experiencing — an integration that bridges behavioral and psychodynamic clinical traditions. Dr. Charles Swenson, a nationally recognized figure in DBT who has developed inpatient, outpatient, and day treatment programs for BPD since 1987, provides ongoing consultation to the clinical team. The program's inclusion of mentalization-based interventions reflects an engagement with psychoanalytic theory — specifically the attachment-theoretical and object-relational framework developed by Fonagy and Bateman — that distinguishes it from purely behavioral approaches to personality disorder treatment. Clearview's residential setting, situated one mile from the beach in tranquil Venice homes, maintains a therapeutic environment emphasizing community integration and real-world skill application.
Best for
Borderline personality disorderCo-occurring personality and mood disordersWomen with treatment-resistant BPDDepression and bipolar disorder with personality pathologySubstance abuse with personality disorder
Modalities
Depth elements
Clearview's integration of mentalization-based treatment (MBT) — a psychodynamic intervention developed by Peter Fonagy and Anthony Bateman from attachment theory and psychoanalytic object relations — as a core modality alongside DBT positions the program within a depth-informed clinical framework. The addition of somatic experiencing therapy addresses the embodied dimensions of psychological trauma through body-based processing of unconscious material. Together, these modalities reflect a treatment philosophy that engages with underlying relational and affective structures rather than exclusively targeting surface-level symptom management.
Populations served
Notable staff
Charles Swenson, MD — Consulting psychiatrist; nationally recognized DBT and BPD expert; program developer since 1987