The Association's mission is to research, develop, and promote the application of Transference-Focused Psychotherapy (TFP) - an empirically supported psychotherapy model for treating personality disorders.
TFP is a structured, manualized therapeutic approach grounded in object relations theory. It is based on the understanding that personality disorders stem from identity diffusion – an impaired integration of the self and others.
The treatment process is guided by a clear therapeutic contract and employs specific strategies, tactics, and techniques aimed at helping patients integrate fragmented aspects of identity.
This identity integration is at the heart of symptom resolution and leads to broader changes in functioning – allowing individuals to experience greater fulfillment in relationships, work, and daily life.
For more about the TFP model and its clinical applications click here
Origins and Development of the TFP-Ukraine Group
At the foundation of the TFP Development Group in Ukraine (also referred to as TFP-Ukraine) stood a number of psychotherapists: Oleksiy Lemeshchuk (who began studying object relations theory with Otto Kernberg himself in 2015, followed by TFP training), Volodymyr Popov (started in 2017), Hanna Shurynova (2019), Iryna Dobrynina (2019), Daryna Lema (2020), Olha Kalashnikova (2020), Maria Tyshchenko (2020), Olha Grytskevych (2020), Anastasia Khotimskaya (2018), Silvia Perzhu (2020), and Liliya Shevkunova (2019).
The need for a national TFP community became especially acute at the onset of the full-scale war in Ukraine. During this time, Ukrainian TFP-oriented therapists – who had been participating in international training programs – felt an urgent need for unification, mutual support, and ongoing professional development within a national context. Thanks to the energetic work of Oleksiy Lemeshchuk, the group’s leader who managed all organizational efforts, the TFP-Ukraine group was officially launched.
The main goals in forming the Association were to foster the development of TFP in Ukraine and to support one another during the difficult wartime period.
The idea of establishing a national Ukrainian TFP community received strong support from the leadership of the International Society of Transference-Focused Psychotherapy (ISTFP) –especially from its president, Frank Yeomans, and members of the ISTFP Board, who provided significant emotional and methodological support.
Clinical Application and Effectiveness
In both clinical settings and research, we observe that TFP demonstrates high efficacy in working with borderline and narcissistic patients. The model is also effective in treating other types of personality disorders within the borderline spectrum, including histrionic, paranoid, schizoid, dependent, and hypomanic presentations.
Furthermore, TFP has shown effectiveness with neurotic disorders – such as hysterical, depressive-masochistic, and obsessive-compulsive structures.
TFP has proven valuable in work with adolescents, groups, couples, and even in medical contexts, where it has been adapted to improve doctor–patient relationships (applied TFP).
Given TFP’s effectiveness and wide applicability, we consider the comprehensive development, study, and training of therapists in this model within Ukraine to be a crucial mission. This is the central aim of the Ukrainian TFP Association.
Achievements and Current Activities
Our first major effort was to establish a training process for TFP therapists. As of March 2025, five Ukrainian specialists have been officially certified as TFP therapists (certification is conducted by examiners who are supervisors and board members of the ISTFP).
Within the Association, 10 supervision groups are active, led by leading TFP supervisors from Europe, North and South America. Among our supervisors are:
- Monica Carsky (USA).
- Nelle Dreyer (Netherlands).
- Katarzyna Gwozdz (Poland).
- Verónica Steiner (Chile).
- Tennyson Lee (UK).
- Mathieu Norton-Poulin (Canada).
- Eduarda Bakalar (Netherlands) and others.
We also host a supervision group dedicated to in-depth study of STIPO-R – the Structured Interview of Personality Organization. Moreover, the full STIPO-R interview and accompanying manual have been translated into Ukrainian and are now in active use.
Recognition and Future Plans
A significant milestone in our work was the inclusion of TFP in the List of Evidence-Based Psychotherapy Models, approved by the Ukrainian Ministry of Health (Order No. 2118, December 13, 2023).
We have also organized the translation of Otto Kernberg’s foundational work, Severe Personality Disorders: Psychotherapeutic Strategies, which is currently undergoing scientific editing. Other key English-language books and manuals are in the pipeline for translation.
Our goal is to make TFP more accessible to a broader range of professionals and to promote higher standards in psychotherapy in Ukraine. There is much work ahead, and we are committed to raising the overall quality of psychotherapeutic care.
Transference-Focused Psychotherapy is the very approach that enables a significant elevation in the standards of psychotherapeutic practice.