What do we do? 

The big-picture scientific goal of research in the START lab is to reduce the suffering of families who have a parent with mental health challenges. We work towards this goal by studying parents and children who struggle with regulating their emotions. Specifically, we focus on parents who have borderline personality disorder (BPD), which is marked by extreme affective instability, interpersonal chaos, impulsivity, and identity disturbance. Our ultimate goal is to use the knowledge we generate by answering these questions to develop treatments that will improve parental mental health, parenting quality, and children’s developmental outcomes. 

These videos provide some insight on the START Lab; how behind the scene involvement, and specifically designed tasks and treatments play part in helping us reach our goals to better understand ways to improve positive interactions between mothers and their children.