Background: Schema Therapy (ST) is an integrative, evolving model for psychotherapy that combines aspects of cognitive, behavioural, psychodynamic, and gestalt models, drawing on attachment and developmental theory. ST places emphasis on the childhood origins of many psychological problems, with ‘Early Maladaptive Schemas’ defined as self-defeating emotional and cognitive patterns that develop in early childhood. Schema Therapy (ST) is an integrative, evolving model for psychotherapy that combines aspects of cognitive, behavioural, psychodynamic, and gestalt models, drawing on attachment and developmental theory. ST places emphasis on the childhood origins of many psychological problems, with ‘Early Maladaptive Schemas’ defined as self-defeating emotional and cognitive patterns that develop in early childhood. 

Recent development: ST has become a hot topic within CBT and the world of psychotherapy in general. The approach has quickly gained popularity among clinicians and mental health services for its high success rates for difficult to treat clients of all ages with more severe, chronic, entrenched difficulties who do not respond to first line approaches. This includes the significant proportion of adolescents and young adults who do not engage in CBT, or don't respond to CBT (or showed an initial response and then relapse).

Teaching Methods: In the centre of the workshop are training and practice units, encompassing schema therapeutic strategies that have proven successful in schema- and mode-driven CBT of adolescence and young adults. Besides and along the case vignette of the 18-y-old female client named “Alex”, most of the exercises will be lively and vividly demonstrated with the assistance of Andrea Loose.