"Healing is not about becoming someone new, but about reclaiming the parts of ourselves that were lost or hidden. It’s the courageous journey of meeting our pain with compassion, breaking old patterns, and growing into wholeness."
What is Schema Therapy
Helping you understand yourself more deeply and make lasting change
Schema Therapy is an evidence-based approach that helps uncover the deeper patterns that sit beneath distress, dissatisfaction, and unhelpful cycles of behaviour. Rather than just treating symptoms, Schema Therapy works at the root—addressing unmet emotional needs and long-standing patterns that can leave people feeling stuck or unfulfilled.
Many people come to Schema Therapy after trying approaches like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) or solution-focused therapy. They may have made progress but still find themselves repeating similar patterns—especially in relationships, work, or times of stress—and are looking for something deeper and more lasting.
Who Schema Therapy Can Help
Schema Therapy may be a good fit if you:
• Often feel disconnected, hurt, or disappointed in your relationships but aren’t sure why.
• Find yourself reacting strongly to certain situations and later wondering why.
• Know, logically, that a certain pattern isn’t helping—but find it incredibly hard to change.
• Feel like you’re always striving to do the right thing or be “good enough,” but still feel fundamentally flawed.
• Feel that you are “too much” or “not enough” in relationships, or find yourself either over-accommodating others or keeping them at arm's length.
• Have had difficult early experiences or trauma that continue to shape how you see yourself or others.
• Want to understand yourself more deeply and grow into a stronger, more grounded version of yourself.
What Is a Schema?
The word schema comes from the Greek word for “form” or “pattern.” In psychology, schemas are deep mental structures or templates that guide how we interpret the world, ourselves, and others. They are formed early in life—often in childhood or adolescence—and are shaped by our experiences, particularly those involving our emotional needs.
Some schemas are helpful, but when certain needs go unmet (like the need for safety, connection, autonomy, or being valued), we can develop maladaptive schemas that continue into adulthood. These might lead us to believe, for example, that we are unlovable, defective, or that our needs will never be met.
What Are Modes?
While schemas are the underlying beliefs or themes, modes refer to the emotional and behavioural “states” we shift into in the moment—especially when our schemas are triggered. For example, you might find yourself shutting down in conflict (Detached Protector mode), reacting with intense emotion (Vulnerable Child mode), or becoming overly critical of yourself (Punitive Parent mode).
Understanding your modes can be deeply empowering. It allows you to pause, recognise what’s happening beneath the surface, and begin to respond in new, healthier ways.
How is Schema Therapy Different
How Does Schema Therapy Work?
Schema Therapy is an integrative approach. It combines aspects of CBT, attachment theory, emotion-focused therapy, and psychodynamic approaches. It is both structured and experiential, drawing on tools such as:
• Emotion-focused techniques (like chair work or imagery rescripting) to heal painful experiences.
• Cognitive techniques to help identify and challenge deeply held beliefs.
• Behavioural strategies to build new, healthier patterns.
• Therapeutic relationship as a secure base from which to explore unmet needs and strengthen the healthy adult self.
In a sense, Schema Therapy is a form of CBT—
It shares a focus on thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. However, it goes deeper, targeting the lifelong patterns behind emotional struggles, and placing greater emphasis on understanding their experiences as a child, meeting unmet emotional needs, and building a healthy inner “Adult.”
How Long Does Schema Therapy Take?
Schema Therapy is typically considered a longer-term therapy because it involves working through a number of schemas and modes and understanding how they show up across different areas of life. This takes time, care, and often occurs in layers.
That said, many people do start to notice meaningful changes within the first 3–4 sessions, such as clearer insight, feeling less alone in their patterns, and gaining tools to manage triggers. The deeper work—like strengthening the Healthy Adult mode, healing the inner child, and forming new patterns—takes more time and commitment.
If you are seeking deeper, lasting change, I encourage you to view therapy as an investment in your wellbeing. But this doesn’t mean you have to attend forever. Even short-term Schema Therapy can provide valuable insight and direction.
Life circumstances can sometimes bring new layers to the surface—especially during stress, transition, or new relationships. The good news is, once you understand your schemas and modes, you’ll be better equipped to handle these moments with awareness and self-compassion.
A Faith-Informed Approach
For those seeking therapy that honours their spiritual beliefs, Schema Therapy offers a framework that can integrate well with Christian values. At its heart, Schema Therapy aims to strengthen the Healthy Adult—a mature, grounded, and compassionate self capable of care, service, courage, and wise decision-making.
This aligns with many spiritual principles, such as growth in character, truthfulness, and the call to love both self and others well. Therapy can also support clients in healing from spiritual abuse or religious trauma, while also helping them reconnect with the values and faith that matter most.
Experiential Techniques: More Than Just Talking
Clients often find Schema Therapy to be more emotionally engaging than other forms of therapy. In addition to talking, it uses experiential techniques such as imagery rescripting and chair work to bring healing to parts of the self that may have been hurt or silenced over time.
Imagery Rescripting
This process involves revisiting painful memories in a safe and guided way, and then ‘rewriting’ them by bringing in what was needed at the time—such as protection, nurturance, or validation. This doesn’t change the facts of what happened, but it helps shift how those memories are stored and experienced emotionally. Many clients find this technique deeply healing, especially if they’ve experienced early trauma or emotional neglect.
Chair Work
Chair work allows clients to externalise and interact with different parts of themselves—for example, the vulnerable child part, the inner critic, or the part that avoids or detaches. By bringing these internal dynamics into the open, clients can gain new understanding and strengthen the healthy adult self. It can be emotional, confronting, and powerful—all within a safe and supportive environment.
These methods are used with care, pacing, and consent. Clients are never pushed to do anything before they feel ready.
A Gentle, Individualised Approach
One of the things I like the most about Schema Therapy is that it is versatile, and therefore I can tailor it to each person’s pace, needs, and preferences. Some clients appreciate its depth and emotional honesty. Others may need time before they feel safe enough to explore deeper memories, and in those cases I am able to offer a range of other therapeutic approaches. Wherever you are in your journey, this approach allows space for both protection and growth.
FAQs
How long does Schema Therapy usually last?
Schema Therapy often works best as a longer-term therapy, but many clients notice insight and positive shifts within a few sessions. If you’re seeking lasting change, it's worth seeing it as an investment in your growth. The pace depends on your goals, history, and how many schemas or modes are active. However, if you have a budget, and feel that you are likely only able to afford ten sessions in the calendar year, meanginful work and change can occur in this time.
Is Schema Therapy suitable for trauma?
Yes. Schema Therapy was developed with complex and developmental trauma in mind. It provides a gentle but powerful framework for understanding how early experiences shaped your emotional life—and offers a path toward healing.
How is Schema Therapy different from CBT?
Schema Therapy builds on CBT but goes deeper. It focuses on long-standing patterns, early life experiences, and emotional healing—not just changing thoughts. It also works with emotion, imagery, and the therapeutic relationship in more depth.
Is Schema Therapy emotionally intense?
Schema Therapy can involve emotional depth, but it is always approached safely, collaboratively, and at your pace. Some sessions may feel lighter, focusing on building insight, reflection, or learning new strategies. Others may explore more vulnerable areas—particularly during techniques like imagery rescripting or when connecting with early emotional memories.
For many people, this may be the first time they’ve gently touched on certain experiences or emotions that were previously avoided or held beneath the surface. That doesn’t necessarily mean the work is overwhelming—many clients describe it not as "intense," but as relieving or validating, especially when difficult feelings are met with warmth and understanding.
You are never pushed into anything you’re not ready for. There is time to pause, check in, or simply sit with what’s coming up. Emotional depth is not forced—it’s supported.
Can Schema Therapy be integrated with faith?
Yes. For clients who value a Christian or faith-integrated approach, Schema Therapy can support growth in character, service, and emotional maturity. It can also be a safe place to explore wounds from spiritual experiences and reconnect with your core values.
Does Schema Therapy Help with OCD?
Yes. For clients experiencing Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Schema Therapy can be a helpful part of treatment. I usually integrate Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)—a highly effective, evidence-based treatment for OCD—with Schema Therapy to address the deeper emotional drivers.
Many people with OCD experience underlying schemas around responsibility, imperfection, control, or fear of harm. These beliefs often develop early in life and may be reinforced by personal, relational, or even religious experiences. Schema Therapy helps to identify and shift these deeper patterns, supporting longer-term recovery—not just behaviour change.
This combined approach is especially helpful for people whose OCD symptoms are shaped by moral or spiritual concerns, perfectionism, or fear of doing harm to others.
Does Schema Therapy Help with Panic Symptoms?
Yes. Schema Therapy can also help those experiencing panic attacks or panic disorder. While I incorporate practical strategies from CBT and exposure-based therapies to reduce panic symptoms, Schema Therapy adds another layer by identifying emotional triggers that may be hidden beneath the surface.
Panic is often connected to feelings of vulnerability, loss of control, or fear of abandonment—especially when these feelings have not been recognised or processed. Schema Therapy helps to explore and shift these emotional patterns while equipping clients with healthier coping strategies.
Are schemas introducing ideas that conflict with my faith?
Schema therapy doesn’t introduce new beliefs or impose ideas that contradict a person’s faith. Rather, it brings to the surface patterns and beliefs that are already present—often shaped by early life experiences, emotional memory, or repeated relational dynamics.
These beliefs often live in what’s called implicit memory—they may not be part of your conscious thoughts, but they influence how you feel, relate, and respond. Schema therapy helps make these patterns more conscious so they can be gently examined in light of your values, goals, and spiritual beliefs.
The aim is not to undermine your faith, but to offer a space where internal beliefs can be explored and, if needed, reshaped—especially if they are rooted in fear, unmet needs, or early pain.
✦ Example:
A person may genuinely believe that compassion and care for others are central to their faith. They may also value selflessness and service. However, through earlier experiences—perhaps in family, school, or church—they may have developed a schema like Self-Sacrifice or Subjugation, where they feel responsible for others’ emotions or needs to the point of burnout.
Some aspects of this schema may reflect values they want to hold onto, like kindness or responsibility. But other aspects—such as the belief that their own needs don’t matter or that setting boundaries is selfish—are not serving them well, especially if they lead to exhaustion, resentment, or a loss of joy in relationships.
Schema therapy supports the person in untangling what aligns with their faith and values, and what might be an internalised burden that no longer fits. It allows space to keep what is life-giving and release what is harmful.
Common Early Maladaptive Schemas
These are deep patterns or beliefs that develop in childhood or adolescence, often due to unmet emotional needs. They can influence how we see ourselves, others, and the world.
Disconnection & Rejection
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Abandonment – Fear that people will leave or can’t be trusted to stay emotionally present.
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Mistrust/Abuse – Expecting others to hurt, abuse, or take advantage of you.
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Emotional Deprivation – A sense that your emotional needs won’t be met by others.
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Defectiveness/Shame – Feeling flawed, not good enough, or unworthy of love.
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Social Isolation/Alienation – Feeling different from others or like you don’t belong.
Impaired Autonomy & Performance
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Dependence/Incompetence – Feeling incapable of handling daily responsibilities alone.
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Vulnerability to Harm or Illness – Fear that catastrophe (illness, accidents, etc.) is about to happen.
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Enmeshment/Undeveloped Self – Feeling too emotionally fused with others or unsure of who you are.
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Failure – Belief that you will fail or are fundamentally inadequate.
Impaired Limits
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Entitlement/Grandiosity – Believing you're special and don’t need to follow rules or consider others.
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Insufficient Self-Control/Self-Discipline – Difficulty tolerating frustration or delaying gratification.
Other-Directedness
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Subjugation – Surrendering control to others to avoid conflict or rejection.
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Self-Sacrifice – Putting others’ needs ahead of your own at your own expense.
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Approval-Seeking/Recognition-Seeking – Overly focused on gaining approval or status.
Over-vigilance & Inhibition
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Negativity/Pessimism – Focusing on the negative and expecting the worst.
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Emotional Inhibition – Suppressing emotions to avoid disapproval or upsetting others.
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Unrelenting Standards/Hypercriticalness – Feeling you must meet high standards to avoid criticism.
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Punitiveness – Believing people should be harshly punished (including yourself) for mistakes.
Common Modes in Schema Therapy
Modes are the emotional “parts” or states we shift between, often in response to triggers. They reflect how our schemas play out in real-time.
Child Modes
Vulnerable Child – Feels sad, alone, rejected, or unsafe.
Angry Child – Feels frustration or rage when needs aren’t met.
Impulsive/Undisciplined Child – Acts on urges or emotions without thinking of consequences.
Happy Child – Feels safe, loved, and joyful (often underdeveloped if needs weren’t met growing up).
Maladaptive Coping Modes
Compliant Surrender – Goes along with others to avoid conflict or rejection.
Detached Protector – Shuts off emotions or distances from others to feel safe.
Overcompensator – Tries to feel powerful or in control to cover up vulnerability.
Dysfunctional Parent Modes
Punitive Parent – Internalised harsh criticism or judgment; may feel “I’m bad” or “I deserve this.”
Demanding Parent – Drives perfectionism or unrealistic standards; never feeling “good enough.”
Healthy Adult Mode
Healthy Adult – Grounded, wise, and balanced. Helps meet the needs of the Vulnerable Child, sets limits with other modes, and makes healthy choices.
Frequently Asked Questions
