Schema Therapy is continually advancing with new ideas and techniques, making continuous learning essential for therapists seeking to enhance their practice. The latest episode of "What's the Schemata," titled "45: Fresh Learnings for 2024," dives into the transformative power of learning. This episode offers a rich mix of reflections and insights from recent workshops, providing practical advice for therapists committed to professional growth.

Schema Therapy supervisors Chris Hayes and Rob Brockman share their experiences from their semi-annual retreat in Bali. During the retreat, they spent a week immersed in intensive training and knowledge exchange. Three outstanding presenters introduced fresh ideas and nuanced approaches to Schema Therapy, significantly influencing Hayes' and Brockman's practice over the past year. They emphasize the importance of integrating new concepts and refining established techniques.

One of the key themes in this episode is the role of the healthy adult mode in Schema Therapy. Hayes and Brockman highlight how engaging the client's healthy adult mode effectively responds to vulnerabilities and coping mechanisms. They share examples of dialogues between the vulnerable child and healthy adult that foster self-trust and resilience in clients.

The episode also explores the concept of empathic confrontation, a technique that balances empathy and confrontation to help clients address maladaptive behaviors. The discussion underscores the importance of tailoring this approach to the client's level of activation, ensuring that interventions remain both supportive and effective.

Reflecting on their experiences at the recent ISST conference in Warsaw, Hayes and Brockman discuss the use of somatic resourcing in Schema Therapy. They emphasize the power of physical posturing, self-soothing techniques, and grounding exercises to enhance the therapeutic process and support clients in managing distress.

This episode of "What's the Schemata" highlights how learning transforms therapeutic practice. By continuously seeking new knowledge and refining techniques, therapists can better support their clients in their journey towards healing and growth. Hayes' and Brockman's insights and practical advice provide valuable guidance for therapists looking to elevate their Schema Therapy practice.

Dr Andrew Phipps on Play and Happy Child Mode

Dr Andrew Phipps, known as Dr Happy, shares his journey to Schema Therapy and explores the vital role of play in therapy.

In conversation with Chris Hayes and Robert Brockman, Dr Andrew delves into how play can be used to frame, understand, and strategize with clients. His insights into the play literature and working with different clients offer valuable perspectives for practitioners.

“Getting into the play literature and figuring out how to work with clients to understand how to work with different clients was really interesting,” says Dr Andrew.

A particularly compelling insight from Dr Andrew highlights the connection between play and self-discovery:

“If you don’t know who you like, how can you know who you are?”

Dr Andrew explains how allowing ourselves to access Happy Child Mode by entering the play state enables us to access joyful states, providing a unique perspective on therapeutic growth.

Episode 3: Schema Therapy Hacks – All Roads Lead to the Critic

Improve Your Schema Therapy Practice with these Brief 10-Minute Clips from Chris and Rob

In this brief video clip, Chris and Rob describe how to efficiently develop a coherent treatment plan – or what we call treatment ‘objectives’. Rob discusses the effectiveness of focusing on the critic mode early in treatment.

Synopsis

Once you have completed a mode map with a client, the next thing they will often ask is ‘what next?’ This episode provides practical guidance on developing effective treatment objectives, with a special focus on addressing the critic mode early in therapy.

Schema Therapy Based Coaching: Is Schema Therapy for Everyone?

By Dr Robert Brockman

This month I had the pleasure of reading this chapter from a new edited book on Third Wave Approaches to ‘Coaching’.

McCormick, I. A. (2022). Schema Coaching: Theory, research and practice. In Passmore, J & Leach, S (eds), Third Wave Cognitive Behavioural Coaching: Contextual, Behavioural and Neuroscience Approaches for Evidence-based Coaches. Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd, Shoreham-by-Sea.

In reading it I was immediately struck by something that has been obvious to me for a long time now. Schema Therapy is probably for everyone. Ok maybe an overstatement but let me explain. What I mean by that is that it is a bit of a misnomer to think of the schema model as only applying to ‘complex cases’ or ‘personality disorders’ – rather Schema Therapy is for personalities. For example, in working with psychologists in supervision, it is clear that the model applies just as well to the struggles of busy professionals as it does to the ‘pointy end’ of mental health. The more we use this model as a lens, the more you see applications of the model in very diverse settings.

So, this month we sat with Dr Iain McCormick to discuss his chapter and the application of Schema Therapy in the executive coaching, corporate and high-performance contexts. Resources articles posted for download below (referenced in the podcast).

We hope you enjoy the discussion and resources.

Chris Hayes and Rob Brockman

Coaching Article 1

Coaching Article 2

Coaching Article 3

Coaching Article 4

What is Schema Therapy for Children?

Schema therapy for children is a specialized form of psychotherapy that targets negative patterns of thinking and behavior that have been established in childhood.

Christof Loose’s approach to schema therapy for children is grounded in the belief that childhood experiences shape our beliefs and emotions, and that these beliefs and emotions can persist into adulthood, leading to maladaptive patterns of thinking and behavior. His approach to schema therapy for children is based on creating a safe and trusting therapeutic relationship, where children can explore and understand their negative beliefs and schemas. Dr. Loose uses a range of techniques, including play therapy, storytelling, and cognitive-behavioral techniques, to help children challenge their negative schemas and develop positive coping strategies. He also emphasizes the importance of involving parents and caregivers in the therapeutic process to ensure the child’s progress is supported outside of therapy sessions. Overall, Dr. Loose’s approach to schema therapy for children is compassionate, evidence-based, and effective in helping children overcome maladaptive patterns of thinking and behavior.

About Christof Loose

Christof Loose is a renowned psychotherapist and psychologist who has made significant contributions to the field of schema therapy. Born and raised in Germany, Dr. Loose received his Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Heidelberg, where he began exploring the link between childhood experiences and adult psychological functioning.

Over the course of his career, Dr. Loose has established himself as a leading expert in the field of schema therapy. This form of psychotherapy involves identifying and addressing maladaptive patterns of thinking and behavior that develop in childhood and continue to impact adult life. Dr. Loose has authored numerous articles and book chapters on schema therapy and is the co-author of the influential book “Learning Schema Therapy: A Practical Guide to Developing Therapeutic Skills.”

In addition to his written contributions, Dr. Loose is also a highly sought-after speaker and trainer. He has conducted workshops and training programs on schema therapy around the world and has trained countless therapists and mental health professionals in the theory and practice of schema therapy.

Thanks to his research, writing, and teaching, Dr. Loose has had a profound impact on the field of psychotherapy. His work has helped shape the way mental health professionals approach the treatment of complex psychological disorders, and he continues to be a leading voice in the field. If you’re struggling with psychological issues, consider seeking out a therapist trained in schema therapy to help you identify and address maladaptive patterns of thinking and behavior.

Case Formulation and Assessment

In this episode Chris Hayes and Robert Brockman discuss case formulation.

The precision of case formulation in Schema Therapy is part of the appeal for both therapists and clients.

Having a clear agreed to set of problems between therapist and client helps manage expectations on when therapy should end.

“It’s important to link trauma with legacy,” says Chris Hayes, continuing, “starting with a problem, for example, an undefined sense of self, can create difficulty in making life decisions.”

Schema Therapy Hacks Episode 2: Model for Empathic Confrontation in Schema Therapy and in Experiential Techniques

As therapists, we tend to focus on the care and nurturance, but there’s also the flip side, where we need to be able to set boundaries. That is part of empathic confrontation.

In this Episode 2 of Schema Therapy Hacks, Chris Hayes and Robert Brockman discuss a model to help therapists achieve balance in these tasks. Watch in full below.

What is ‘Schema Therapy Hacks’?

This series of short videos (usually about 10-minutes) is designed to give Schema Therapists a quick “hack”, to help them with their practice immediately. You can find all of the ‘Hacks’ so far, and other cool Schema videos here at our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4deWVRvWxU05uie2URaZuA/featured

Leaning into Empathic Confrontation with a Big ‘E’ and Other Gnarly Challenges – with Wendy Behary

In this episode of ‘What’s the Schemata’, we talk to Wendy Behary about Empathic Confrontation and how it is a central strategy for managing Tough Cases in Schema Therapy.

Wendy is past President of the ISST (2010-2014) and has authored many books including Disarming the Narcissist: Surviving and Thriving with the Self-Absorbed.

In the Podcast Wendy discusses her experience that our Inner Critics often seem to serve some kind of function – and how this perspective can lead to important changes in our approach as therapists.

“… I think the Critic probably has a function of either trying to protect/prevent or promote something within us… but it comes across in ways that can instead perpetuate the very schemas we are trying not to feel”.

Wendy Behary – What’s the Schemata Episode 25

You definitely won’t want to miss this episode. If you like it, you also may like her new online course on Empathic Confrontation Strategies.

Surviving Schema Therapy Accreditation (ISST)

There has been a heap of interest and Questions of late on the process of ISST Accreditation – in this Episode, Chris and Rob tackle the key questions on how to approach getting accredited by the ISST – and how to survive it!! Available below on YouTube or on Audio above…

Appendix/ Info: Link to current ISST Guidelines and forms Here: https://www.schematherapysociety.org/page-18343

Episode 24: Schema Therapy ‘What if?’ Series – Imagery Rescripting with ‘Little Jenny’

The process of learning and applying Schema Therapy in Practice often leads therapists to a series of ‘What if?’ questions. In this short podcast, Chris and Rob tackle how schema therapists might respond to various difficult clinical moments involving the application of Imagery Rescripting. How do we respond when clients say, for example ‘this was great – but this didn’t happen… this (imagery) is not real’?

Chris and Rob discuss this and other similar clinical quandaries involving Imagery Rescripting.