Therapeutic approach
Schema Therapy
Schema Therapy is an integrative psychotherapy developed by Dr Jeffrey Young. It combines cognitive behavioural therapy, attachment theory, psychoanalytic ideas, and experiential techniques to address persistent patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving that often begin early in life.
Find your therapistWhat is Schema Therapy?
Schema Therapy identifies and changes early maladaptive schemas: enduring patterns that can form when important emotional needs are not met in childhood. These schemas shape how a person sees themselves, other people, and the world.
How it works
- Identify early maladaptive schemas
- Explore how those schemas developed in childhood
- Notice how schemas affect present-day choices and relationships
- Use emotional, cognitive, and behavioural techniques to create change
- Develop healthier relationships and emotional self-care
What it can support
- Personality disorders and complex trauma
- Chronic depression and generalised anxiety
- Persistent relationship difficulties
- Eating disorders and addictions
- Chronic low self-esteem and emotion-regulation difficulties
- Repeated self-defeating or self-harming patterns
Core ideas
- Eighteen early maladaptive schemas
- Five broad schema domains linked to emotional needs
- Coping styles: the strategies people use when a schema is activated
- Schema modes: shifting emotional states and behaviours
- Limited reparenting: a boundaried therapeutic way to address unmet emotional needs
Duration and goals
Schema Therapy is usually longer-term, commonly ranging from six months to two years. It looks at both past and present, with the goal of deep, durable change and healthier, more satisfying relationships.
What the research says
The source document describes positive findings for personality disorders, chronic depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and relationship quality. Outcomes differ by person, clinical complexity, and engagement in therapy.
Schema Therapy at Bliss
Some Bliss psychologists are trained in Schema Therapy and can use it within a personalised treatment plan, particularly when difficulties feel deeply rooted, repetitive, or connected to childhood experiences.
Questions people ask
Is Schema Therapy only about childhood?
No. Childhood experiences help explain how patterns formed, but therapy also focuses on changing how those patterns affect your life now.
How long does it usually take?
It is often a longer-term therapy, commonly six months to two years, depending on your needs and goals.
Often overlaps with
Selected sources
- Giesen-Bloo, J., et al. (2006). Schema-focused therapy for borderline personality disorder. Archives of General Psychiatry, 63(6), 649–658.
- Carter, J. D., et al. (2013). Predictors of response to CBT and schema therapy for depression. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 47(2), 142–150.
- Hawke, L. D., & Provencher, M. D. (2011). Schema therapy in mood and anxiety disorders. Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy, 25(4), 257–276.
- Simpson, S. G., et al. (2010). Schema therapy for eating disorders. Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy, 24(4), 259–273.
- Bamelis, L. L., et al. (2014). Clinical effectiveness of schema therapy for personality disorders. American Journal of Psychiatry, 171(3), 305–322.
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