People living in Brisbane that feel they are not good enough or don’t feel a sense of belonging are undergoing schemas. Schemas are feelings developed in some individuals as they travel through life.
Traditional therapy may work for some mental health issues but only schema therapy, Brisbane can effectively target the developed schemas.
The simple explanation of Schema Therapy
Schema therapy is a cognitive therapy developed by Dr. Jeff Young to enable patients to understand their feelings and their actions towards their feelings. Negative behaviours and thoughts stemming often from childhood are identified by schema therapy. The identification of these actions and feelings bring about new and positive behaviours and thoughts.
An integrative approach is accomplished by schema therapy. This includes combining interpersonal, cognitive behavioural, psychoanalytic, and experiential therapies into one. The maladaptive behaviours of patients are helped by schema therapy when all other therapy methods fail.
The three stages used by schema therapy to help maladaptive behaviours include:
- Assessment stage where the interruptions of life are identified.
- The Experiential stage where the schema therapist and patient work to recognise and understand how daily life is affected by those schemas.
- The Behavioural stage where ways are determined by the therapist and the patient to achieve positive behavioural goals.
Advantages of Schema Therapy
A variety of mental disorders including personality disorders have been found by numerous studies to benefit from schema therapy. The wide range of symptoms manifested by patients with borderline personality disorder achieved full recovery with the help of schema therapy.
The development of schema therapy was to treat mental disorders that continue to cause problems for some affected individuals that have undergone other forms of therapy.
Some of the mental disorders that studies show is helped by schema therapy include:
- Personality-related disorders
- Criminal behaviour
- Relationship issues
- Eating disorders
- Chronic depression
- Posttraumatic stress
- Substance abuse
- Anxiety
Borderline personality disorders have been seen to be effectively addressed by schema therapy. Studies have seen that individuals with borderline personality disorders tend to stick with schema therapy than other forms of therapy treatment.
What makes Schema Therapy effective?
Unmet basic childhood needs such as being loved, sheltered, and safely guided often make them adults that are unable to meet these same needs in their relationships and with themselves.
The adverse experiences during childhood are believed by schema therapy to create maladaptive behaviours. Adults with maladaptive behaviours are likely to feel worthless, show underdeveloped social skills, have a poor sense of judgement, and engage in patterns of destructive behaviour.
The processes used in schema therapies include:
Chair work
Two chairs provided to the patient represent different personalities and emotions. Moving from one chair to another allows the patient to identify the variations in his/her personality and emotions.
Diaries
The patient is asked to keep a diary of the maladaptive schemas experienced during childhood. Keeping a diary allows patients to identify the emotions associated with their thinking patterns. Writing down their behaviours and feelings helps to determine ways to change negative behavioural and thought processes.
Schema therapy helps people with mental disorders to identify the patterns of behaviour and thoughts that bring on these mental issues. Identifying the origins of unmet needs during childhood helps patients develop a good sense of adequacy and self-worth. We invite you to contact us at Positive Psychology Brisbane to know more about schema therapy.