Schema Therapy

Changing deep patterns and healing at the core

Understand where your struggles come from and build a more compassionate relationship with yourself.

Do you ever feel as though you are stuck in the same emotional patterns no matter how hard you try to change? Perhaps you find yourself caught in the same kinds of relationships, reacting in ways that do not feel like “you”, or holding deep beliefs that you are not good enough, not safe, or unlovable.

These long-standing patterns often come from early life experiences and unmet emotional needs. Schema Therapy is a powerful approach that helps you understand and heal these deeper patterns so you can feel more confident, secure, and connected in your life and relationships.

What Is Schema Therapy?

Schema Therapy is an integrative approach that draws from cognitive behavioural therapy, psychodynamic principles, and attachment theory. It focuses on identifying and changing “schemas”, which are deep emotional themes or beliefs formed in childhood and reinforced throughout life.

Schemas are like internal templates that shape the way we see ourselves, others, and the world. They influence how we think, feel, and behave, often without us realising it. Some common schemas include beliefs such as:

I am not good enough
People will always let me down
I must always put others first
My feelings do not matter

When these schemas are triggered, they can lead to painful emotional states, self-defeating behaviours, and repeating patterns in relationships that are hard to change.

Schema Therapy brings these patterns into awareness and works actively to shift them. It does not only work with thoughts but also focuses on emotional experiences and the way we relate to ourselves and others.

Asian woman sitting outside in the sunshine

How Schema Therapy Can Help

Schema Therapy is particularly helpful if you:

Struggle with long-term patterns that feel hard to shift
Experience low self-worth, shame, or emotional sensitivity
Feel stuck in difficult or repeating relationship dynamics
Have a history of childhood neglect, trauma, or emotional invalidation
Experience emotional “modes” such as feeling abandoned, angry, numb, or detached
Want to build a more stable and nurturing connection with yourself and others

Healing Trauma and Relationship Difficulties

Early experiences where emotional needs were not met can leave a lasting impact. In Schema Therapy we work together to identify the unmet needs from childhood and understand how they have shaped the beliefs and behaviours that affect you today. These may include needs for safety, love, acceptance, independence, or healthy boundaries.

Schema Therapy provides practical tools and emotional support to help you:

Reconnect with the vulnerable parts of yourself that may have been ignored or dismissed
Learn to meet your needs in a healthy and self-respecting way
Understand and respond to the different emotional states or “modes” that may take over at times
Create stronger, more secure and fulfilling relationships