Psychology Online

Potential benefits of online psychological counselling in Australia

Schema Therapy, also an evidence-based integrative form of therapy, emerged from traditional cognitive therapy. Schema Therapy provides a basis upon which people can recognise and change their negative and often distressing life-long thinking patterns called schemas.

Schemas are negative enduring and pervasive beliefs and feelings a person has about themselves, others, and the environment, of which an individual may or may not be consciously aware. We view the world through our schemas (Bricker & Young, n.d.). They begin to develop during childhood when core needs are not being met (e.g., feeling safe, loved, valued, and that we belong) and persist in adult life as patterns of repeated difficulties (e.g., relationships, work, general contentment).

In contrast to the primarily short-term focus of CBT, Schema Therapy often has a longer treatment time-frame as it focuses on identifying core schemas, understanding how and why they developed, and working toward healing the schemas. Like CBT, you and your psychologist will work together to identify your therapeutic goals and develop a therapeutic plan. Therapeutic intervention consists of identifying schemas (usually more than one), the coping styles and behaviours you may have developed in response to the schemas, and to assist you to learn and develop well-balanced ways of engaging in everyday life.

The overall goal of Schema Therapy is for a person to gain a deeper level awareness of themselves and others, and therefore change these long-term life patterns.