Mardoche Sidor, MD, Quadruple Board Certified Psychiatrist - SWEET INSTITUTE - Continuing Education for Mental Health Professionals

Why MBT Might Be the Most Important Skill You Learn This Year

Mardoche Sidor, MD, Quadruple Board Certified Psychiatrist — Thu, 12 Feb 2026 10:03:19 +0000

“This Is Not a Training. It’s a Reset.” Some trainings give you more tools. This one gives you something more rare: A new mind. Because the hardest part of our work isn’t the diagnosis, it’s the moment when emotion rises, and thinking collapses. That’s the moment when: clients escalate clinicians react teams split systems fail ruptures multiply MBT trains you to hold the line right there. MBT is a safety model. Not just emotional safety. Clinical safety. Because reflective functioning is protective in high-risk relational dynamics—and its collapse is a predictor of rupture, reenactment, and treatment dropout (Fonagy & Luyten, 2009; Bateman & Fonagy, 2016). This is for real-world work. If you work with people living with: personality disorders complex trauma substance use high utilization homelessness and severe mental illness justice involvement, family systems under strain MBT is not an “extra” skill. It’s a core competency. SWEET Insight You can’t change people by being more certain. You change people by being more capable of not knowing—without panicking. That is the power of mentalization. Call to Action MBT Virtual Conference at SWEET — Friday, February 13, 2026 9-1pm ET Live Virtual CEUs Nationwide + NY (SW, LMHC, Psychologists, MFT) Register today. Text a colleague right now. Tell your supervisor you want this as a team training. Bring your supervisees. Because the people you serve deserve clinicians who can think clearly under pressure. And so do you. Scientific References Bateman, Anthony W., and Peter Fonagy. Mentalization-Based Treatment for Personality Disorders: A Practical Guide. Oxford University Press, 2016. Fonagy, Peter, and Patrick Luyten. “A Developmental, Mentalization-Based Approach to the Understanding and Treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder.” Development and Psychopathology, vol. 21, no. 4, 2009, pp. 1355–1381. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579409990198. Luyten, Patrick, and Peter Fonagy. “The Neurobiology of Mentalizing.” Personality Disorders: Theory, Research, and Treatment, vol. 6, no. 4, 2015, pp. 366–379. https://doi.org/10.1037/per0000117. Siegel, Daniel J. The Developing Mind. 2nd ed., Guilford Press, 2012.

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SWEET Institute Newsletter

Mardoche Sidor, MD, Quadruple Board Certified Psychiatrist — Mon, 21 Jul 2025 09:32:45 +0000

💡 Reflection “Books are the mirrors of the soul.” — Virginia Woolf 📚 You’re Invited: The First-Ever SWEET Book Tasting Join us for an unforgettable evening of reflection, inspiration, and collective awakening at the SWEET Book Tasting on Wednesday, July 30, 2025, from 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM ET, held virtually. This is not your typical book event. It’s an experience—where we sample six powerful, transformative books from SWEET Publishing. Two of these titles will be featured live during the event, with shared excerpts, live reflections, exercises, and group dialogue. You don’t need to read anything ahead of time—just bring an open heart and mind. 📦 After the event, you’ll choose one of the six books to receive as a gift—shipped directly to your home. 📖 Featured Titles The Power of Belief: How Beliefs Shape Our Lives and How to Change Them The Clinician’s Mirror: A Story of Projection, Self-Discovery, and Healing The Courage to Care: Stories of Healing, Hope, and the Power of Social Work Remembering: The Journey Back to the Pre-Conditioned Self The Secret is in Remembering: Why We Suffer, Why We Forget, and How to Return to Who We Are Transforming Team Relationships from the Inside Out: The SWEET Healing Circle for Agencies 🗳️ All registrants will receive a brief survey to vote on which two books will be featured during the live session. 🎁 Everyone who attends will get to select one of the six books after the event—your free gift. 🕊️ How to Join 🗓️ Date: Wednesday, July 30th 🕢 Time: 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM ET 📍 Location: Zoom 💖 All proceeds go to the SWEET Center, supporting access to low-fee resources for clinicians. Register Now – SWEET Book Tasting 💌 A Note from Dr. Sidor Will you do me the honor of joining us? If this resonates with you, bring a colleague, a loved one, or a friend. Share this invitation with someone who might benefit from something meaningful, heartfelt, and healing. Together, let’s read, reflect, and rise. Warmly, Dr. Mardoche Sidor SWEET Institute

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De-escalation skills: 6 Reasons Why

Mardoche Sidor, MD, Quadruple Board Certified Psychiatrist — Tue, 30 Oct 2018 11:15:00 +0000

“I went to look for help, and now I am going to jail. What do I need to live for?” Matthew said in anger to the medical student conducting the initial interview. Two days later, he was found tying the bed sheet around his neck. His roommate arrived soon enough, and he was placed on “one-to-one” monitoring for suicide watch. After discharge, Matthew found himself in jail, waiting for trial. Three days later, he was found once again, with his bed sheet around his neck, this time, unconscious.

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Dealing Effectively with Inappropriate Behaviors- Five Steps

Mardoche Sidor, MD, Quadruple Board Certified Psychiatrist — Tue, 27 Feb 2018 12:00:00 +0000

“I need to make a decision. I have been working for the past eight months with him, but there has been no progress.” Maria explained this to Jena, the new clinical supervisor, only one week on the job. Maria was referring to Ken, already introduced in a previous article entitled, Dealing Effectively with Inappropriate Behaviors: The Why.

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Dealing Effectively with Inappropriate Behaviors: The Why

Mardoche Sidor, MD, Quadruple Board Certified Psychiatrist — Fri, 23 Feb 2018 13:00:00 +0000

“I have been giving him the benefit of the doubt, but things have been worsening. Now I dread meeting with him, and I drag myself to work on the days I know he is scheduled to see me.”

Maria was teary when she articulated these words to Gaelle, one of her co-workers.

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New Strategies for Mental Health Assessment: 5 Additional Required Techniques

Mardoche Sidor, MD, Quadruple Board Certified Psychiatrist — Fri, 16 Feb 2018 15:00:00 +0000

“I went home and counted the number of days for me to return. My first visit with you was different, and I thank you for that.” When Ralph articulated this, he was genuine and authentic in showing gratitude towards Karinn, his clinician and the entire staff at the Hope Clinic.

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New Strategies for Mental Health Assessment: 6 Reasons Why

Mardoche Sidor, MD, Quadruple Board Certified Psychiatrist — Fri, 26 Jan 2018 16:00:00 +0000

Mental health assessment is one of the most miss-conceptualized activities performed in the field of mental health. It is either easy or difficult, one either knows it all or not at all. Its purpose is also often misunderstood—fill out or complete the paper work, get the note done, get someone admitted to a program or to the clinic. What if, as a whole, we had the wrong concept regarding mental health assessment?

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