Welcome To 

Schema

Therapy

Canada

This website is intended both for individuals who want to better understand themselves and their long-standing life patterns through Schema Therapy, and for therapists who wish to deepen their knowledge and enhance their clinical skills in working with clients.

The website draws exclusively on information from professional and scientific sources. Each post includes references to the material used, ensuring transparency, credibility, and respect for academic and professional standards.
I respect Jeffrey Young’s original model, as well as all the developments in Schema Therapy that have emerged since its creation. I believe that all Schema Therapy techniques and styles are valuable - and that the more approaches we are familiar with, the more clients we can help. Therefore, on this website you will find information from different Schema Therapy “schools”; it is up to you to choose the style that suits you best.
A note to therapists: Keep exploring, keep reading, keep practicing, keep thinking critically, and stay curious and attuned to your clients’ needs and their window of tolerance.
The creator and moderator of this website is Aleksandra Crvenic Pacek, an Advanced Level Certified Schema Therapist as well as a Schema Therapy Supervisor and Trainer. You can read more about Aleksandra in the About Me section.
This website is currently under construction, and content will be added gradually. You are welcome to use the materials available on this site, with the kind request to include appropriate references so that we can jointly respect copyright and authorship. 
If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, feel free to contact me at: schematherapycanada@gmail.com

What is Schema Therapy?

Schema Therapy is a comprehensive, integrative form of psychotherapy that synthesizes elements from several major psychological schools, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), attachment theory, Gestalt therapy, object relations, and psychoanalytic schools. Originally developed by Jeffrey E. Young, this modality was specifically designed to address complex, long-standing psychological patterns that may not respond to traditional short-term treatments.

The Scope and Purpose of Schema Therapy

While Schema Therapy was initially developed to treat personality disorders and chronic, pervasive life challenges, its application has expanded significantly. Today, it is effectively used to treat a wide spectrum of issues, such as:

  • Chronic depression and anxiety
  • Complex trauma and PTSD
  • Persistent relationship difficulties
  • Deep-seated emotional instability

Because many psychological struggles are rooted in early developmental stages, Schema Therapy places a significant emphasis on exploring an individual’s childhood and adolescence to uncover the origins of their current distress.

Core Pillars of the Schema Model

The framework of Schema Therapy is built upon four primary concepts:

  1. Early Maladaptive Schemas: Deeply ingrained emotional and cognitive patterns.
  2. Maladaptive Coping Styles: The ways individuals react to their schemas (such as avoidance, surrender or overcompensation).
  3. Schema Modes: The moment-to-moment emotional states we experience.
  4. Core Universal Emotional Needs: The fundamental requirements for healthy development (e.g., safety, autonomy, and connection).

Understanding Early Maladaptive Schemas

At its heart, the model focuses on Early Maladaptive Schemas. These are self-defeating core themes or patterns that dictate how we perceive ourselves, our interpersonal relationships, and the world around us. A schema is more than just a thought; it is a complex bundle of:

  • Stored memories
  • Intense emotions
  • Bodily sensations
  • Cognitive beliefs

These schemas typically form during childhood when a child’s innate temperament interacts with recurring negative experiences within their environment.

The Familiarity Paradox: Because schemas develop so early in life, they become a fundamental part of a person’s identity. Even when they cause profound suffering, they feel “comfortable” or “right” because they are familiar. This often leads individuals to unconsciously seek out situations or relationships that reinforce the schema, making these patterns exceptionally difficult to break.

The Nature and Activation of Schemas

Schemas do not function identically for everyone; they exist on a continuum of severity. Not every individual possesses the same set of schemas, nor are they experienced with the same level of intensity.

A schema does not need to be “active” at all times. Instead, it may remain dormant until it is triggered by a specific life event or interpersonal interaction. The more “potent” or strong a schema is, the more frequently it will be activated by everyday situations. To maintain the internal “truth” of a schema, individuals may often unintentionally distort their perception of reality, further entrenching the maladaptive pattern.

Early Maladaptive Schemas

    1. Abandonment / Instability
    2. Mistrust / Abuse
    3. Emotional Deprivation
    4. Defectiveness / Shame
    5. Social Isolation / Alienation
    6. Dependence / Incompetence
    7. Vulnerability to Harm or Illness
    8. Enmeshment / Undeveloped Self
    9. Failure
    10. Entitlement / Grandiosity
    11. Insufficient Self-Control / Self-Discipline
    12. Subjugation
    13. Self-Sacrifice
    14. Approval-Seeking / Recognition-Seeking
    15. Negativity / Pessimism
    16. Emotional Inhibition
    17. Unrelenting Standards / Hypercriticalness
    18. Punitiveness