Wondering What Schema Therapy Is All About?
Some of you may have heard this therapeutic approach being mentioned in various health and mental health contexts, especially in more recent times due to its increased evidence base and effectiveness to treat a range of mental health presentations.
Schema Therapy was first developed by Dr. Jeffrey Young and his colleagues in the 1980s, primarily to address personality disorders and other chronic conditions especially after identifying limitations to traditional Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). It’s since expanded into many other contexts (e.g. trauma, eating disorders, psychotic disorders, relationships).
It integrates elements from CBT, attachment theory, Gestalt therapy, and psychodynamic therapy to treat deeply ingrained emotional patterns and belief systems.
Schema therapy aims to reduce the influence of unhelpful schemas that usually develop in childhood because unmet core emotional needs. These unmet needs occur based on innate emotional temperament, negative childhood and adolescent experiences and cultural influences.
So, what is a schema? Well, it’s a very dominant, pervasive and problematic pattern/theme regarding oneself and one’s relationships with others. It’s made up of three parts:
- Memories and images
- Thoughts
- Emotions and body sensations
Another way to think of a schema is like a pair of glasses. When the schema gets activated (by a trigger), it’s like the glasses are now on and we see and engage in the world through these lenses.
Schema therapy uses a range of approaches to reduce the influence of unhelpful schemas via:
- Cognitive techniques: better manage unhelpful thoughts and generate greater understanding of own issues
- Experiential techniques: get in touch with the uncomfortable emotions often through imagery exercises (ie. emotional acceptance)
- Behavioural techniques: learn to change unhelpful behaviours gradually through new experiments, learning different perspectives and being guided by the therapist
- Therapeutic Relationship: the therapist role-modelling appropriate behaviours as well as meeting the needs of the client in session
- Modes: focusing on understanding and working with different modes (or parts of you) – the different ways a person feels, thinks, and behaves in response to various situations.
From my work with clients using this approach, many have found very helpful to understand their mental health issues in a broader context and learn ways to address symptoms and behaviours. Importantly, schema therapy is extremely validating and highlights the key message: it’s not what’s is wrong with you, but rather what has happened to you?
There is quite a bit to schema therapy so stay tuned – we’ll be sharing more blog posts soon, diving deeper into topics like schema modes, examples of common schemas, and how this approach supports recovery from eating disorders, PTSD, and relationship challenges.
If you’re ready to explore how Schema Therapy can support your healing and growth, reach out to book a session or find out more.
