Schema Therapy 

What is Schema Therapy? 

Schema Therapy is an integrative treatment approach that combines the best elements of cognitive-behavioral, experiential, interpersonal, and psychoanalytic therapies. Developed by Dr. Jeffrey Young, who initially worked closely with Dr. Aaron Beck, the founder of Cognitive Therapy, Schema Therapy was created to address patients with chronic, characterological issues that were not adequately addressed by traditional cognitive-behavioral therapy. Dr. Young (1990, 1999) and his colleagues at the Center for Cognitive Therapy at the University of Pennsylvania identified individuals who had difficulty benefiting from standard therapeutic methods. They discovered that these individuals had long-standing patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving that required a different intervention. Schema Therapy was designed to help these patients address and modify “schemas” or “life-traps.” This therapeutic approach has proven effective in helping people overcome these life traps and break long-standing negative (maladaptive) patterns. Dr. Young defines schemas as “broad, pervasive themes regarding oneself and one’s relationship with others, developed during childhood and elaborated throughout one’s lifetime, and dysfunctional to a significant degree.” These schemas consist of negative or dysfunctional thoughts and feelings reinforced over time, creating obstacles to achieving goals and fulfilling one’s needs. Common schema beliefs include: “I’m unlovable”, “I’m a failure”, “People don’t care about me”, “I’m not important”, “Something bad is going to happen”, “People will leave me”, “I will never get my needs met”, “I will never be good enough”.