Schema Therapy
Schemas are deeply ingrained patterns or beliefs about ourselves, other people, and the world around us. These patterns often develop early in life through our relationships and experiences, and they can continue to influence how we think, feel, behave, and relate to others well into adulthood.
Schema Therapy was developed by clinical psychologist Dr Jeffrey Young in the 1990s and focuses on what are known as early maladaptive schemas. These schemas tend to operate in the background and can strongly shape self-esteem, relationships, emotional reactions, and expectations of others.
Some common schemas involve beliefs such as:
“I’m not good enough”
needing approval or reassurance from others
putting other people’s needs ahead of your own
feeling responsible for everyone else
expecting rejection, criticism, or abandonment
Understanding long-standing patterns
Schema Therapy is generally used for more chronic, long-standing patterns rather than short-term symptom management. It focuses on understanding the bigger picture, looking at recurring themes across relationships, emotions, coping styles, and behaviours.
In therapy, we explore:
how these patterns developed
how they may have made sense earlier in life
how they continue to affect the present
the ways people have learned to cope with painful emotions or beliefs
Often, people develop coping responses in childhood that helped them manage difficult emotional experiences or unmet needs at the time. While these coping styles may once have been protective, they can later contribute to ongoing distress, relationship difficulties, perfectionism, emotional overwhelm, or disconnection from self.
Building awareness and change
Schema Therapy helps people begin to recognise these patterns with greater clarity and self-understanding.
For many people, simply having language for what is happening can feel relieving and validating. Over time, therapy can help create more flexible ways of thinking, responding, and relating, rather than remaining stuck in patterns that no longer feel helpful or sustainable.