Schema Therapy

Schema therapy focuses on identifying and changing deep-rooted negative patterns or “schemas” that are developed throughout life. These schemas are broad, enduring themes or patterns of thought, behaviour, and emotions that shape how individuals perceive themselves, others, and the world around them. They often emerge as a result of trauma or unmet emotional needs during childhood and can affect an individual’s relationships, coping mechanisms, and emotional regulation well into adulthood.

Schema Therapy is becoming increasingly popular due to it’s wide ranging effectiveness for in the treatment of psychological concerns. In particular, it can be helpful for people who have chronic or entrenched conditions, or have found previous therapy has not been effective.

Signs you may benefit from schema therapy:

• You have a recurring, unhelpful patterns in your life
• Your emotional needs have been unmet
• You feel that certain people/places or situations trigger a really powerful emotional response in you
• Relationships are tricky at times e.g. you can get easily emotional at others or they get emotional at you
• You have experienced chronic psychological concerns
• Other therapy has not helped you in the way that you needed

Schema therapy works by bypassing unhelpful coping behaviours and satisfying client’s emotional needs. This is achieved through experiential techniques (such as imagery rescripting and chair work), the therapy relationship, as well as traditional cognitive and behavioural techniques. As schemas develop over the course of an individuals life and can be quite engrained, Schema Therapy is often a longer term treatment, especially in patients with chronic conditions.

Schema therapy has been found to have numerous benefits for clients including: 

• Understanding and healing from lifelong patterns 
• Address unmet emotional needs, in a healthy, adaptive and constructive way
• Learning healthy ways to cope with distress 
• Developing a better relationship with self and others 
• Achieving lasting and meaningful change 
• Developing a relationship with your therapist where you feel really seen and understood