Schema Therapy

Young’s schema therapy model, continuously developed and researched since the mid-1980’s, provides a comprehensive framework for understanding the maladaptive schemas/limiting core negative beliefs that emerge when childhood needs are not met during the developmentally sensitive years of childhood.

What is a Schema?

A schema is a life pattern. Schemas are like the “issues” or problem areas that a person struggles with. They may be working against us and keeping us stuck. Schemas are not active all the time. They must be activated or set off by something – usually a situation you are in or an interaction with someone. When our schemas are activated, intense states are triggered that include feelings, sensations, thoughts, actions, and sometimes memories.

Have you ever noticed that your emotional/behavioural reaction was bigger than the facts of the situation?

Do you have deeply engrained ways of thinking?

Do you tend to notice that you cope habitually in certain ways?

Research on childhood development is in agreement that there are five core needs that all children have.

1. Secure attachment (safety, stability, nurturance, acceptance and the need for belonging.

2. Autonomy, competence, and a sense of identity.

3. Freedom (to be able to express your own feelings and needs)

4. Spontaneity and play (self-expression and the ability to enjoy life)

5. Realistic limits (to learn age-appropriate self-control)

What is Schema-Focussed Therapy?

Schema-focused therapy aims to identify, restructure, and transform maladaptive beliefs/patterns from the past to enhance present-day well-being. It is a form of psychotherapy ideally suited for individuals with entrenched, chronic problems originating in childhood. The therapy integrates elements from cognitive-behavioural, attachment, Gestalt and psychoanalytic schools into a comprehensive, unified treatment model.

Schema-focused psychotherapy is used for a wide range of mental health issues, including:

· Depression

· Anxiety

· Personality disorders

· Borderline presentations

· Relational problems

· Eating disorders

· Trauma

What are schema therapy sessions like?

Throughout therapy, you will learn how to heal your attachment trauma by changing maladaptive schemas, modes, and coping mechanisms that have not served you. Instead, changing them into more adaptive ways of relating to yourself, others and the world around you to lead a more fulfilling life.