What Is Schema Therapy?

Schema Therapy is an integrative approach that helps you understand the deep emotional patterns (schemas) formed in childhood that continue to influence your thoughts, feelings, and relationships in adulthood. Developed by Jeffrey Young, it combines elements of CBT, attachment theory, and experiential techniques.

Schemas are core beliefs about ourselves and the world — such as "I'm not good enough," "People will abandon me," or "My needs don't matter." These beliefs develop in childhood as a way of making sense of our environment, but they can become rigid and unhelpful in adult life.

How It Works

In Schema Therapy, we identify your core schemas and the coping styles you've developed in response to them. We explore how these patterns originated in your early experiences and how they play out in your current life.

The therapy uses a combination of cognitive techniques, experiential exercises (such as imagery rescripting), and the therapeutic relationship itself to help you meet your unmet emotional needs in healthier ways.

What Schema Therapy Can Help With

• Recurring relationship difficulties
• Chronic feelings of emptiness or disconnection
• Persistent low self-worth
• Patterns of self-sabotage
• Difficulty trusting others
• Personality difficulties
• Long-standing depression or anxiety that hasn't responded to other therapies

What to Expect

Schema Therapy tends to be a longer-term approach, as we're working with deeply rooted patterns. Sessions involve a mix of talking, reflective exercises, and guided imagery. The therapeutic relationship is central — it becomes a safe space where you can experience new ways of relating.