David C. Bricker, Ph.D. and Jeffrey E. Young, Ph.D.
Schema Therapy Institute
HARRY is a 45-year old middle-level manager. He has been married for 16 years, but his
marriage has been very troubled. He and his wife are often resentful of each other, they
rarely communicate on an intimate level, and they have few moments of real pleasure.
Other aspects of Harry’s life have been equally unsatisfying. He doesn’t enjoy his work,
primarily because he doesn’t get along with his co-workers. He is often intimidated by
his boss and other people at the office. He has a few friends outside of work, but none
that he considers close.
During the past year Harry’s mood became increasingly negative. He was getting more
irritable, he had trouble sleeping and he began to have difficulty concentrating at work.
As he became more and more depressed, he began to eat more and gained 15 pounds.
When he found himself thinking about taking his own life, he decided it was time to get
help. He consulted a psychologist who practices cognitive therapy.
As a result of short-term cognitive therapy techniques, Harry improved rapidly. His mood
lifted, his appetite returned to normal, and he no longer thought about suicide. In
addition he was able to concentrate well again and was much less irritable. He also
began to feel more in control of his life as he learned how to control his emotions for
the first time.
But, in some ways, the short-term techniques were not enough. His relationships with
his wife and others, while they no longer depressed him as much as they had, still failed
to give him much pleasure. He still could not ask to have his needs met, and he had few
experiences he considered truly enjoyable. The therapist then began schema therapy to
help Harry change his long-term life patterns.
This guide will present the schema therapy approach, developed by Dr. Jeffrey Young to
expand cognitive therapy for clients with more difficult long-term problems. Schema
therapy can help people change long-term patterns, including the ways in which they
interact with other people. This overview of schema therapy consists of six parts:
1) A brief explanation of short-term cognitive therapy
2) An explanation of what a schema is and examples of schemas;
3) An explanation of the processes by which schemas function;
4) An explanation of modes and how they function within schema therapy;
5) Several case examples; and
6) A brief description of the therapeutic process
Short-Term Cognitive Therapy
Cognitive therapy is a system of psychotherapy developed by Aaron Beck and his