Schema Therapy
Schema Therapy is an evolution of cognitive behavioral therapy, designed by Jeffrey Young in the mid-1980s, who incorporated elements from other types of therapy such as Bonding Therapy, Gestalt, and Psychoanalysis.
The central structural element in the process of change is the therapeutic relationship, through which the patient should come into contact with experiences that were missing during their development into adulthood. The therapist should adopt an attitude that corresponds to that of a caring parent in order to fulfill basic needs such as secure attachment, acceptance, protection, and autonomy needs that are often left unfulfilled from childhood.
A schema is a rigid set of emotions, thoughts, and memories that developed during adulthood through the non-fulfillment of the child’s basic needs, which shows a high degree of dysfunction and prevents the patient from living a happy life. Examples of common schemas are “abandonment,” “overcompensation patterns,” or “emotional deprivation.”
The individual adapts to the dysfunctional environment around them to avoid further harm by developing the so-called coping strategies. Some “yield” to their schemas (“surrender”), while others behave as if their schema is true (“overcompensation”). Schema therapy aims to change these maladaptive patterns by identifying the schemas and providing new experiences that contradict them.
The concept of the mode of operation
The mode of operation is defined as the set of schemas, coping strategies, and reactions that are active in an individual at a given time. Each person can move between many modes of operation at any given time.
The creation of the concept of mode of operation arose from the need to address some common problems in psychotherapeutic practice. Specifically, in cases of “difficult” patients who have a multitude of schemas, which lead to different coping strategies each time, it is not possible for the therapist to focus on any one of them every time. Often, the patient transitions from one mode of operation to another, exhibiting extreme reactions such as sadness, fear, anger, withdrawal, and emotional distancing, as a result of mobilizing specific schemas and corresponding coping strategies. Additionally, some patients adopt avoidance or overcompensation strategies that are difficult for the therapist to approach.
Modes of operation are classified into four broad categories: Child modes of operation (Vulnerable child, Angry child, Impulsive/disobedient child, Happy child). Functional coping modes (Compliance with tradition, Detached protector, …)
What are the goals of schema therapy?
The goals of schema therapy are to help patients gain awareness and understanding of their respective schemas and to comprehend their own difficulties not as personal failures but as expressions of unfulfilled basic needs.
Angry, impulsive, or over compensatory schemas are addressed with limitation and empathy.
Punitive, excessively critical, or demanding ways are transformed into healthier, more adaptive ones.
In addition, the therapist works with the patient to develop coping skills, problem-solving strategies, and ways of meeting their own needs in more constructive ways. Ultimately, the goal of schema therapy is to help patients lead more fulfilling and satisfying lives by breaking free from negative patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving.
