SCHEMA THERAPY

For several years, Inner Child Healing and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy were the two most effective paradigms of which I was aware that were available to treat Borderline Personality Disorder. However, in the wake of a relationship which involved some Borderline patterns, I did further research and came across claims that another form of therapy was proving more effective. That approach is called Schema Therapy.

Schema Therapy was developed by Dr. Jeffrey Young. While Young comes primarily from the mindset of cognitive therapy, his approach combines elements from various schools of psychology. Schema Therapy is specifically designed to treat some of the most challenging cases involving longstanding, pervasive and resistant personality issues - patterns Young refers to as "Lifetraps". I particularly like the approach because it helps elucidate and address fundamental patterns underlying chronic dysfunction and repetition compulsions. As such, I see it as a field that seeks leverage points, applying a systems-oriented mindset to healing and development.

I went on to read Reinventing Your Life: The Breakthough Program to End Negative Behavior...and Feel Great Again, in which Young addresses some of the most common, resistant patterns that he sees in his clients. While this book isn't specifically about Schema Therapy itself, it brings that field's mindset to bear on each of the basic patterns it addresses.

OTHER RESOURCES RELATED TO SCHEMA THERAPY

• All of my Blog posts tagged Schema Therapy
  
  
• Schema Therapy Institute - Homepage of Dr. Young's own Institute.
  
  
• Summary of Results of a Major Outcome Study: Schema Therapy for Borderline Personality Disorder - Article about studies showing the superior effectiveness of Schema Therapy to various other treatments for Borderline Personality Disorder.

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