Schema Therapy

The schema approach draws equally from cognitive–behavioral therapy, attachment theory, psychodynamic concepts, and emotion-focused therapies. In comparison to cognitive–behavioral therapy, schema therapy emphasizes lifelong patterns, affective change techniques, and the therapeutic relationship, with special emphasis on limited reparenting.

Schema therapy is particularly well-suited for difficult, resistant clients with entrenched, chronic psychological disorders, including personality disorders (including borderline personality disorder and narcissism) and eating disorders, intractable couples problems, and criminal offenders. It has also been found to be effective for relapse prevention in depression, anxiety, and substance abuse.

The initial results of a major comparative outcome study have shown schema therapy to be effective with a high percentage of outpatients with borderline personality disorder, with a low dropout rate. Clients who have spent years gaining valuable insight with psychodynamic treatments, but who are frustrated by their lack of progress, often respond well to the active, systematic, flexible, and depth-oriented schema approach.

Jeffrey E. Young, PhD, serves on the faculty of the Department of Psychiatry at Columbia University. He is director of the Cognitive Therapy Center of New York as well as the Schema Therapy Institute. Dr. Young founded schema therapy, and is a founding fellow of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy. Dr. Young has lectured and presented workshops on cognitive and schema therapies for the past 25 years and consistently receives outstanding evaluations internationally for his teaching skills. He has published extensively, including two major books, Schema Therapy: A Practitioner's Guide, for mental health professionals, and Reinventing Your Life, a best-selling self-help book.

Dr. Young is coauthor of a psychotherapy outcome study evaluating the effectiveness of cognitive therapy in comparison to antidepressant medication. He has also served as consultant on many cognitive and schema therapy research grants, including the NIMH Collaborative Study of Depression, and on the editorial boards of journals including Cognitive Therapy and Research and Cognitive & Behavioral Practice. For his exceptional teaching skills, Dr. Young was awarded the prestigious NEEI Mental Health Educator of the Year award in 2003.

Essential Schema Therapy References

• Young, J. E., Klosko, J. S., & Weishaar, M. (2003). Schema therapy: A practitioner's guide. New York: Guilford.
• Young, J. E., & Klosko, J. S. (1999). Reinventing your life. New York: Plume Books.
• Young, J. E. (2000). Challenging cases: Schema-focused innovations in brief cognitive therapy—Advanced symposium [audiotape]. Pittsfield, MA: New England Educational Institute.
• Young, J. E. (2004). Innovations in schema therapy for resistant personality disorders [audiotape]. Pittsfield, MA: New England Educational Institute.
• Young, J. E. (1999). Cognitive therapy for personality disorders: A schema-focused approach (3rd ed.). Sarasota, FL: Professional Resource Press.

Other Schema Therapy References

• McGinn, L. K., Young, J. E., & Sanderson, W. C. (1995). When and how to do longer-term therapy…without feeling guilty. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 2 (1), 187–212.
• McGinn, L. K., & Young, J. E. (1996). Schema-focused therapy. In P. Salkovskis (Ed.), Frontiers of cognitive therapy. New York: Guilford.
• Schmidt, N. B., Joiner, T. E., Young, J. E., & Telch, M. J. (1995). The schema questionnaire: Investigation of psychometric properties and the hierarchical structure of a measure of maladaptive schemas. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 19 (3), 295–321.
• Stein, D., & Young, J. E. (1993). Cognitive science and clinical disorders. San Diego, CA: Academic Press.
• Young, J. E., Beck, A. T., & Weinberger, A. (2001). Depression. In D. H. Barlow (Ed.), Clinical handbook of psychological disorders (3rd ed.). New York: Guilford.
• Young, J. E., & Flanagan, C. (1998). Schema-focused therapy for narcissistic patients. In E. Ronningstam (Ed.), Disorders of narcissism: Diagnostic, clinical, and empirical implications (pp. 239–268). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press.
• Young, J. E., & Gluhoski, V. L. (1996). Schema-focused diagnosis for personality disorders. In F. W. Kaslow (Ed.), Handbook of relational diagnosis and dysfunctional family patterns (pp. 300–321). New York: Wiley.
• Young, J. E., & Gluhoski, V. L. (1997). A schema-focused perspective on satisfaction in close relationships. In R. J. Sternberg & M. Hojjat (Eds.), Satisfaction in close relationships (pp. 356–381). New York: Guilford.

APA Videos

• Cognitive–Behavioral Relapse Prevention for Addictions
  G. Alan Marlatt
• Cognitive Therapy
  Judith S. Beck
• Cognitive Therapy for Borderline Personality Disorder
  Mary Anne Layden
• Cognitive Therapy for Panic Disorder
  David M. Clark
• Cognitive Therapy Over Time
  Keith S. Dobson
• Cognitive–Behavioral Therapy With Donald Meichenbaum
  Donald Meichenbaum
• Schema Therapy With Couples
  Jeffrey E. Young
• Personality Disorders
  Jeffrey J. Magnavita

APA Books

• Advances in Clinical Cognitive Science: Formal Modeling of Processes and Symptoms
  Edited by Richard W. J. Neufeld
• Cognitive Schemas and Core Beliefs in Psychological Problems: A Scientist-Practitioner Guide
  Edited by Lawrence P. Riso, Pieter L. du Toit, Dan J. Stein, and Jeffrey E. Young
• Culturally Responsive Cognitive–Behavioral Therapy: Assessment, Practice, and Supervision
  Pamela A. Hays and Gayle Y. Iwamasa
• Fear of Intimacy
  Robert W. Firestone and Joyce Catlett
• Therapy With Difficult Clients: Using the Precursors Model to Awaken Change
  Fred J. Hanna
• Women and Victimization: Contributing Factors, Interventions, and Implications
  TK Logan, Robert Walker, Carol E. Jordan, and Carl G. Leukefeld