Universal desires for all of us are to have a sense of well-being and to feel powerful and impactful in our lives and in our relationships. When we have a sense of well-being and empowerment life can seem more meaningful and vibrant, and we have a sense that we can thrive in our lives and not just survive. But for many of the people we work with, there is often the belief that neither of these desires are possible for them and that in their baseline state, happiness or contentment seem completely unattainable and a sense of powerlessness is usually the norm. From a Schema Therapy perspective, we see that the interplay of Early Maladaptive Schemas and Modes confound these desires by blunting access to their emotional needs that can animate a person to act on their own behalf and help make these desires a more reachable goal. Time will be spent considering the importance of knowing and owning one’s needs to thrive in the world, with special attention will be on the Schemas and Modes that are more directly connected to the need for autonomy.

Schema therapy assessment can generate a range of schemas and modes. Integrating these into a streamlined formulation and workable treatment plan can feel overwhelming. When attempting to simply formulation and treatment planning, it can be tempting to focus on the mode model only to explain and treat client difficulties. However, using only the mode model (or only the schema model) limits treatment because schemas and modes perpetuate each other and in turn the presenting problem. As Jeff Young said in his Enlight 2019 presentation, “Long-term mode change usually requires making deeper changes at the schema level first.”
Given the treatment benefits of integrating the schema and mode models, the question becomes how to integrate them into formulation and treatment in a practical way.
This interactive half day workshop will help participants to:
• Understand the interplay between schemas and modes and the benefits of integration
• Simplify assessment data to create a simple formulation that includes schemas and modes and links these to the client’s presenting problems
• Learn how to integrate schemas and modes to guide treatment throughout each treatment session
• Identify common pitfalls when integrating schemas and modes into treatment
• Explore how to adjust the formulation throughout therapy to guide effective treatment

This workshop will discuss trauma and dissociation from an adaptive information processing (Shapiro, 2018), neurobiological, and interpersonal, and polyvagal perspective. A focus will be on how to conceptualise, collaboratively with our clients, their internal world and to compassionately understand the protective defensive parts of self that have needed to develop to survive trauma experiences and continue living. Conceptualising dissociation will be grounded in the model of structural dissociation (Steele, Boon, van der Hart, 2017) and the synergetic fit theoretically with other approaches, including Schema Therapy (Young et al., 2003) and Polyvagal Theory (Dana, 2020; Porges, 2017; 2021). The focus here will be on overcoming the paradoxical fears, phobias, resistances, blocks, and internal conflicts that present in preparing our clients to engage in trauma-focused treatment. Practical focus will be presentation of an innovative preparation strategy known as ‘Befriending Parts of Me’. This technique aims to understand, and compassionately be with our clients internal world, and to resolve inner conflicts between parts of self about change that comes with healing.

There are inevitable and predictable challenges when a client begins the journey in the treatment room – to transform self-defeating patterns into healthy and adaptive ones. While giving up the burdens of longstanding schema-driven distress might be cause for relief and celebration, it is also a time of grief, doubt, self-blame, and, for some, toxic shame. As these clients begin to make sense out of their early emotional narratives, including lifelong early maladaptive schemas and modes, some may become hijacked by the messages of the inner critic, with a profound focus on resentment toward self and others. Clients can become hostages to their regret and resentment triggers, to activated feelings of foolishness, weakness, and the familiar sensations linked with shameful exposure to their early fractured lives and maladaptive coping styles. They may struggle to move forward into the change phase of treatment, not trusting their capacity to accurately scrutinize healthy-unhealthy choices and personal performance, especially in the interpersonal world. Using empathic attunement, imagery rescripting, and interpersonal neurobiology, along with the installation of strategies such as, confrontation rehearsal, the self-discovery mission, the narrator voice, transparent intention, and mode mindfulness, patients are able to effectively bypass inner critics – and therefore the consequential toxic shame – and move through necessary grief towards sturdier self-acceptance, present moment awareness, and healthy engagement.

Addictions and Compulsions can be some of the most difficult behaviors for both the client and therapist to understand and treat. Addictions are often strong features in Borderline Personality Disorder and Narcissistic Personality Disorder, as well as other personality disorders causing destabilizing, destructive behaviors that impede corrective emotional experiences.

In this workshop we will be clarifying a case conceptualization, identifying core schemas and modes fueling addictive behaviors, learning effective interventions that heal schemas and strengthen the Healthy Adult. A special emphasis will be placed on working through the therapist’s own responses to working with this population who can trigger feelings of anger, outrage, frustration, shame and hopelessness.

Assessment, conceptualizing the patient’s mode cycles, designing a wholistic treatment plan, learning to maintain session balance between behavioral and emotion-focused interventions and circumventing tricky modes that derail progress will be covered and practiced in this workshop. The role of attachment in the development, maintenance and therefore treatment of addictive disorders will be addressed throughout this workshop.

Schema modes are naturally occurring patterns of cognition, emotion and behaviour that are recurrent in an individual (Lazarus, Sened, & Rafaeli, 2020; Lazarus & Rafaeli, in press). They are recognizable and can be helpfully classified into the familiar categories we use in schema therapy. Default modes may stay in place for hours at a time, while, in mode flipping, there is sudden shifting between contrasting modes. But within a therapy session it is normal for a client’s modes to shift and change as the interaction with the therapist unfolds. Therefore, the therapist needs to attune to the client’s experience and follow it closely as it changes moment by moment. Recognizing the mode shifts in the client helps therapists respond in a sensitive and therapeutic manner. The therapist also actively guides the client in a way that facilitates a therapeutic process and, to quote Elliott and Greenberg (2007), “is always working towards something” (p. 244). In the unfolding process, there is a creative dialectic between the therapist’s following and guiding “analogous to a dance in which each partner responds to the other by alternately following and leading” (p. 244). Although schema therapists are familiar with a basic set of modes, Edwards (2022) listed over 80 schema modes and argued that the capacity to differentiate between modes contributes to the therapist’s capacity for case conceptualization as well as to sensitivity within the session.
This workshop will provide an introduction to this way of looking at modes. How this works in practice will be illustrated by case examples of therapy sessions in which the unfolding process is closely tracked. Moment to moment mode shifts in the client are identified and there is a focus on how therapists can respond to them most effectively. In this workshop, Repetitive Unproductive Thinking modes will be highlighted. These modes, which include overanalyzing, worrying and self-flagellating, mainly involve a stream of inner speech or self-talk. Their significance has been recognized by metacognitive therapists (Ehring & Watkins, 2008; Nordahl et al, 2018; Topper et al, 2017; Watkins & Roberts, 2020) and, increasingly, in the schema therapy literature (Brockman & Stavropoulos, 2020; Stavropoulos et al, 2020). The nature of this kind of inner speech will be examined as well as how these modes appear in sessions and can be recognized and worked with.
The workshop will also include experiential exercises designed to increase participants self-awareness of these and other modes.

Many therapists struggle to know how to respond when patients cross their boundaries. When patients attack, demean, or disrespect them, it can push therapists out of their comfort zones, leaving them feeling ineffective. From our work with forensic patients, who often cross boundaries, we have developed methods that therapists working in any setting can apply when boundary violations occur. Indeed, as we hear from many therapists in different settings, boundary violations tend to be underestimated. They occur more often than we realize, and we may underestimate their emotional impact on us.

Our approach involves identifying not only the client’s modes, but also the kinds of boundary violations that occur. We have developed a model of boundary violations that are based on universal rights that apply to therapists and patients equally. When therapists learn to address those rights, it contributes to both feelings of safety and authenticity in the therapeutic relationship. Thus, it enhances the power of re-parenting.

This workshop will be experiential in nature. We will first introduce our model of boundary violations and the different rights and modes that are involved when boundaries are crossed. Then, we will invite participants to take part in role-playing exercises. We will demonstrate and practice different techniques of working with our own emotional reactions, and different ways of intervening.

The workshop is open to therapists who are familiar with Schema Therapy, and with the concept of modes. Therapists with all levels of experience are welcome to join!

Empathic Validation is among the most important components of therapeutic relationships in many psychotherapeutic approaches. Especially in Schema Therapy where Limited Reparenting plays the key role in the therapeutic process (J.Young, 2003). Being essential characteristic of the general attitude towards the patient it also involves specific forms and presentations depending on patient’s unmet needs, Maladaptive Schemas and Modes. At the same time validation serves as specific intervention. Therapist empathic validation responses are also affected by the therapist’s needs, schemas and modes. This can make it difficult for some therapists to accurately define validating responses corresponding to the patient’s current mode and underlying needs. Therefore, developing specific micro skills of validation in addition to macro reparenting attitude becomes a vital necessity in professional growth.

This master class will allow participants to understand what adequate validation is and to learn how to validate when certain Modes are activated in the patient: e.g. Vulnerable or Angry Child, Detached, Surrender, Bully etc.

Learning objectives:

-Build more comprehensive macro vision of the meaning and application of validation in Schema Therapy.

-Master communicative techniques and micro skills in using various forms of validation according to certain conditions and Schema Modes in patients.

– Develop a deeper understanding of therapist own validation needs

Training will contain structured presentation, video materials, demonstrations and practical exercises.

Paul Kasyanik, Elena Romanova & Maria Galimzyanova are Advanced Schema Therapists and Trainers/Supervisors, Directors of St.Petersburg Schema Therapy Institute.

Presented techniques and skills will help participants to express adequate forms of validation according to the patients’ needs and modes which will reinforce ‘Limited Reparenting’ ability of the therapis

When asked about supervision and its goals, most people and definitions mention conceptions such as deepening the understanding of a training model, learning necessary skills and steps or assessment of Supervisee’s learning process and progress. In Schema Therapy (ST) this, “Teacher & Coach” is just one of three required Supervisor’s roles, the other two being “Mentor & Role Model” and “Therapist & Limited Reparenting Agent”. This means that, as ST Supervisors we need to go beyond teaching and dive into the deeper, tailored made relationship, designed to meet the unmet needs of each Supervisee. While doing this, ST Supervisor needs to be able to model Healthy Adult / Healthy Therapist Mode, using appropriate and relevant self-exposure and the ability to identify and deal with Schema & Mode activation in both the Supervisee-patient and the Supervisee-Supervisor relationship. Having all this in mind, we conclude that ST Supervision requires maturity, empathy, flexibility and creativity: it requires substantial mastery and art.

By the time we become ST Supervisors most of us develop these proficiencies, and we continue to polish them with every supervision encounter. Yet, no matter how skilful we get, there are always situations wherein we tend to feel uncomfortable, puzzled, and stuck. Situations in which we feel the need for our own (peer)supervision. The aim of this workshop is to provide a safe place where we would connect and provide each other with support and guidance in dealing with some of these situations and supervision challenges.

The issues that we would address are schema triggering in supervision, bypassing Supervisee’s coping style, supervision in the context of shared / societal trauma and difficulties with rating recordings for certification.

In addressing these issues, we will share several problems that we encountered and addressed during our supervisions. Secondly, we will look into ISST videos and recommendations for overcoming some of the Supervision related challenges. Finally, the attendees will have an opportunity to roleplay and practice managing problems from our “Supervision moments” vignettes or difficulties attendees encountered as Supervisors and/or Supervisees.

Knowing the scope of supervision related challenges, we don’t profess to solve them or give definite answers, we do however hope that reflecting on these problems together, would bring us at least one step closer to mastering the art of supervision.

The Wellbeing Codes is a positive psychology approach to schema healing and emotional wellbeing. The Wellbeing Codes describes six wellbeing outcomes that encapsulate all 18 early maladaptive schemas, and provides healing pathways to help focus efforts to strengthen the Healthy Adult mode.

Clients seek out therapy at various stages of their own healing journey. Whilst some clients may require intensive and long-term therapy to process trauma from the past, other clients may have previously engaged in some therapy or trauma processing, and have entered a growth phase of their healing process. These clients are often consciously seeking ways to reconnect with their authentic self, take new risks, and focus their attention on cultivating a life that is alignment with their unique personal desires and core values.

In order to support clients at this stage of healing, the therapist is met with the challenge of shifting the focus from processing of the past painful memories and events that contributed to schema and mode formation, to a focus on the positive desires, core needs and dreams for the present and the future.

Each of the six Wellbeing Codes capture two to four schemas, and describe positive healing pathways for these schemas that help the therapist and client to maintain focus on the “work” required of the Healthy Adult Mode. Each Wellbeing Code also describes a key emotional shift that we can expect to see when schemas are beginning to heal and the relevant wellbeing outcome is activated.

The six Wellbeing Codes are:

• Connection (from shame to love)
• Confidence (from doubt to courage)
• Optimism: (from fear to peace)
• Self appreciation: (from guilt to joy)
• Fairness: (from resentment to equanimity)
• Self discipline: (from frustration to clarity)

This workshop will have a focus on self-reflection, and will involve:

1. Description of The Wellbeing Codes framework ia 5-step process to cultivate wellbeing outcomes
2. Exploration of setting intentions, and selecting one “Code” to focus on for the workshop
3. Exploration of the old narratives that block wellbeing, and developing new narratives to support the desired wellbeing outcome
4. Imagery to enhance desired emotional state, and behavioural practices to embody the chosen wellbeing outcome

Attendees will also have complimentary online access to “The Wellbeing Codes in Practice”, including self-guided home practice to work through all 18 schemas and cultivate all six wellbeing outcomes.

Schema Therapy (ST) has been an emerging area of interest in the treatment of individuals who have committed crime, are assessed as high-risk and have a personality disorder (PD) offenders. Bernstein, Arntz and de Vos (2007) adapted the ST mode model for the treatment of forensic patients, with the aim to increase treatment motivation and engagement, ameliorating PD symptoms, lowering recidivism risk and increase protective factors. When providing treatment to this cohort, the challenge for clinicians is less about identifying risk and more about overcoming responsivity issues. In this presentation we discuss the challenges of applying schema therapy in the forensic context. A particular focus will be on how key innovations in schema therapy can be applied and issues that will likely arise. An interactive role-playing activity in a group setting will include skill demonstration of limited reparenting in action, chair work for overcompensation modes and addictive behaviours; and imagery rescripting to address the victim perpetrator parallel. The workshop will benefit practitioners employed in forensic contexts, inpatient settings, substance use programs, domestic violence and challenging cases in private practice.