What is Schema Therapy?

Schema Therapy rests on the theory that people have conceptual ideas about common human experiences, such as relationships. Early childhood experiences, some of which can be maladaptive, affect these schemas. Schemas affect how people think about themselves and how they think about themselves in relationships with others.

Your therapist will ask questions about your childhood and how you form relationships, specifically if there were any attachment injuries (such as sexual abuse, physical abuse, or other types of trauma with your primary caregivers).

Schema Therapy recognizes that your emotions correspond with how you relate to others. Your maladaptive schemas can also be affected by the particular environment in which you experienced your formative years.

Your therapist will then ask about your current patterns of relating and how you form relationships as an adult. The goal is to identify and explore how these maladaptive schemas affect you in your present life and replace them with more positive ways of relating with others.