Schema Therapy

Schema Therapy is an integrative therapeutic approach that incorporates elements from cognitive behavioural therapy, attachment theory, and experiential therapies. At the core of schema therapy are schemas. A schema is a core belief about oneself that develops in childhood through our interactions with caregivers and other early life experiences. There are 18 schemas that exist, known as “maladaptive schemas”. An example of a schema is the Abandonment schema; a person with this schema may feel they will mostly always be abandoned by significant others. 

Each schema is associated with specific thoughts, feelings, memories, and bodily sensations. To cope with these unpleasant experiences, one typically responds with an unhelpful coping style, such as avoidance, people pleasing, or overcompensating. Whilst these coping mechanisms might provide relief in the short-term, they usually make things worse in the long-term as they do not enable us to get our core needs met (e.g., emotional safety and connection). 

The goal of Schema Therapy is to help one get their core psychological needs met, modify unhelpful behavioural patterns that often lead to further difficulties, and ultimately developing a strong Healthy Adult mode to better manage painful feelings. 

Schema Therapy works with the root of one’s difficulties rather than focusing on the symptoms. Schema Therapy is a medium to long-term therapy, requiring a minimum of 6 months or 20+ sessions.

Given the nature of Schema Therapy is to learn about why and how you have come to be the person you are today, this therapy is useful to anyone and everyone. However, it is particularly beneficial for people with longstanding and recurrent difficulties, including depression, low self-esteem, problematic relationships, and personality style.