Emotions Matter, Inc.

Who We Are 

Emotions Matters, Inc. is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded in 2015 to support, educate and advocate for people impacted by borderline personality disorder (BPD). Our vision is to create a world in which every individual impacted by BPD has access to treatment and resources to survive, thrive and achieve a meaningful recovery.

Our Support Programs

• Online BPD Peer Support Groups led by trained peer facilitators six times a month on SupportGroupCentral.com to decrease social isolation, promote self-agency and coping skills.

• Closed Facebook Group for individuals with BPD to share resources and social support.

• BPD Connections program for lived-experienced panelists to share experiences with the community on different recovery topics.

• BPD Wellness Workshops for lived-experienced presenters to share creative and coping skills with the community.

• Monthly BPD Loss Grief Support group for those who have lost loved ones to BPD.

• Walk for BPD and Art Show to foster BPD empowerment, leadership and advocacy.

• Referrals for BPD treatment resources or educational materials by phone or email.

Our Educational Services

• Webinars on topics related to advocacy, empowerment, and to improve public health literacy related to borderline personality disorder.  

• Professional and community workshops in person or online to provide updated research, education and resources about borderline personality disorder.  

• Stigma Free Publications such as BPD: The Facts (2021), Supporting Students with Borderline Personality Disorder: A Guide for Professionals, Parents and Students (2019), Utilizing Single Case Agreements to Access Treatment for Borderline Personality Disorder: A Strategy to Support Health Care Consumers and Clinicians (2018), Borderline Personality Disorder: In Our Own Words (2017), Borderline Personality Disorder and Suicidality (2019).   

• Videos with over 20,000 You Tube Hits including, The Myths and Facts about Borderline Personality Disorder (2020), Spreading Awareness about Borderline Personality Disorder (2016), Building Health Relationships with Borderline Personality Disorder (2019), Borderline Personality Disorder and Suicide Awareness (2018).  

Who We Serve 

Emotions Matter services individuals impacted by BPD and their families. All are welcome to attend public programs and events. However, our online BPD peer support programs are facilitated by volunteers designed for people over the age of 18. While many with BPD are diagnosed during adolescence and early adulthood, BPD is a disorder that affects individuals of all ages through middle age and later in life. Although more women than men access our services, BPD affects both women and men in society. Emotions Matter serves people with BPD who identify with diverse genders, sexual orientations, religious, racial, cultural, ethnic or economic backgrounds.  

Our Approach 

What sets Emotions Matter apart from other organizations is our belief that individuals with BPD, family members and professionals should work together to improve BPD outcomes. People with BPD are involved as leaders at different levels of Emotions Matter’s organization, and have important contributions to make to BPD research, education, and health care. Emotions Matter uses recovery oriented language to promote positive thinking about recovery, recognizing the real-world stigma and barriers to care which exist in the community.

Emotions Matter’s philosophy is rooted in the following frameworks: 

• Peer-driven, promoting leadership development within the organization. 

• Recovery-oriented, focused on providing positive models of peer recovery. 

• Process-oriented team of clinicians, family, and individuals working together.

• Integrates best practices from evidence-based BPD therapies along with other approaches, including narrative therapy, art therapy, writing, and animal therapy.

• Empowerment-focused, emphasizing advocacy and personal strengths. 

• Justice seeking, exposing the stigma and discrimination experienced by those with BPD. 

• Culturally-sensitive, inclusive community promoting dialogue at all levels of organization. 

Our Impact 

• Over 3,000 people with BPD have found support and resources in our Facebook Group, Online Peer Support Groups, Social Connections, Art Show and Walks for BPD since 2015.

• Emotions Matter advocated for the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) to produce a public education brochure about BPD, the first ever of its kind by this federal agency. 

• Emotions Matter has produced publications and videos which have helped educate thousands of people about BPD and access treatment or resources to manage BPD symptoms.

• People impacted by BPD Loss have received support, and advocated in memory of loved ones.

 • Peers with lived experience of BPD have presented at national and international conferences to increase awareness and advocate for BPD.

Testimonials from our BPD Peer Group community:

“The quality of my life has improved since joining this group. A lot.” –New York 

“I am very grateful for just such a place as this... Warm, safe, inviting, tolerant, patient, non- judgmental, supportive... It truly has made an amazing difference in how much differently I'm able to cope in the "outside world.” THANK YOU, EMOTIONS MATTER!” – Ohio 

“We are here in this safe place to find support and to give support. You will not be bullied, shamed or otherwise berated for anything you say or post. That is what I came seeking when I joined this group and that is what I have found. No other group has completely maintained this as well as Emotions Matter does.” –Pennsylvania 

For more information: www.emotionsmatterbpd.org