Schema Therapy for Christians

We're glad you're here!

Schema Therapy is a powerful approach to working with long standing issues, such as the impact of traumatic experiences in childhood, ongoing relationship instability, chronic perfectionism and rigidity. It is also an emerging treatment approach for addictions and 'treatment resistant' anxiety and depression.

These are big issues, but God is bigger still, so as you explore these resources we pray that you find tools for healing.

If you are new to Schema Therapy there is an overview here.

NEW: How do Schemas Develop

We are starting series of posts about how schemas develop, particularly for Christians. For Christians, their church experiences and how God has been represented to them can result in schemas developing. Through vignettes, information and questions to reflect on we hope that you will be able to start working on undoing the power of these schemas. We start with the Defectivess/Shame schema - click to go to this page: defectivenessshame-schema.html

For Clients - songs that speak to schemas

Below are links to songs that I have found helpful when working on particular schemas. Be careful as you are listening, that your Healthy Adult is allowing the song to impact you (your Critic or your avoidant modes might make it hard to let the song "in").

This song was suggested by a Schema Therapist whose client has found it helpful when things feel out of control and their Mistrust/Abuse and Emotional Deprivation schemas are activated.

Abandonment: the deep belief that your needs for support and connection will not be met. A sense that significant others will not be able to continue providing emotional support, connection, strength, or practical protection, because they are emotionally unstable or unpredictable, unreliable, or will suddenly leave.

Defectiveness: The feeling that you are defective, bad, unwanted, inferior, or invalid in important respects; or that you are unlovable to significant others if exposed. May involve hypersensitivity to criticism, rejection, and blame; self-consciousness, comparisons, and insecurity around others; or a sense of shame regarding your perceived flaws.

Emotional Deprivation: The expectation that your desire for a normal degree of emotional support will not be adequately met by others. The three major forms of deprivation are:

Deprivation of Nurturance: Absence of attention, affection, warmth, or companionship.
Deprivation of Empathy: Absence of understanding, listening, self-disclosure, or mutual sharing of feelings from others. 
Deprivation of Protection: Absence of strength, direction, or guidance from others.

Unrelenting Standards: The underlying belief that you must strive to meet very high standards of behaviour and performance, usually to avoid criticism. typically results in feelings of pressure or difficulty slowing down; and a hypercritical nature towards oneself fad others that impairs health, sense of self, ability to enjoy or relax, or enjoy relationships.

Self-Punitiveness: The belief that people should be harshly punished for making mistakes. Involves the tendency to be angry, intolerant, punitive, and impatient with those people (including oneself) who do not meet one's expectations or standards. Usually includes a difficulty forgiving mistakes in oneself or others due to a reluctance to consider extenuating circumstances, or a difficulty allowing for human imperfection, or empathizing with feelings.

Click here to see a complete list of schemas

WEBINARS For Clinicians

WEBINAR: Schema Therapy with Christians: Working with Common Presentations

A$29.00

90 minute webinar

Working with clients who identify as Christians provides some unique challenges and opportunities. This webinar will provide a brief overview of how Schema Therapy fits with a Christian world view and will focus on practical ideas for;

Bypassing a Spiritualising Detached Protector
Untangling a Critic mode from client's experience of God
Working with Unrelenting Standards and Self Sacrifice Schemas with Christians
Using biblical metaphors in Imagery

This webinar is aimed at clinicians who have a working knowledge of Schema Therapy (who know how to assess for modes and schemas and how to do basic Schema Therapy interventions). Experienced clinicians without this background knowledge will still benefit, but if you are wanting to increase your knowledge of Schema Therapy, self-paced introductory courses are available at https://learn-schema-online-stia.teachable.com/p/home

Presenter: Ruth Holt, Clinical Psychologist

Ruth is a Clinical Psychologist and Principal of Canberra Clinical and Forensic Psychology. She is a Certified Schema Therapist and Supervisor/Trainer in two specialities; Individual and Couples Schema Therapy.

Based in Canberra, Ruth works with individuals and couples with a focus on complex presentations and conducts workshops and training in Schema Therapy, couples therapy, ministry resilience, women's mental health and abuse in relationships. She has presented at the Australian Psychological Society's Clinical College Conferences, the International Society of Schema Therapy (ISST) virtual summits and runs workshops throughout Australia. She has worked with The University of Canberra Psychology Clinic supervising and presenting to postgraduate students. Ruth has also worked in a variety of ministry roles in church ministry and university ministry.

Ruth has edited the book Schema Therapy for Children and Adolescents and has recently published on Schemas and Intimate Partner Violence and Schema Couples Therapy. She consults with organisations on responses to abuse and also conducts strengths building workshops for couples.

Format: This webinar is available as a down load with resources and handouts.

Photo by Ruth Gledhill on Unsplash

WEBINAR: When Grace is Elusive

A$29.00

90 Minute Webinar

Christian clients can have all the right theology, but struggle to feel forgiven, to rest in grace and to embody the peace we have with God. Cognitive, self help and even "christian counselling" approaches can fuel the "try harder" approach that these clients are entrenched in, in a desperate attempt to feel the way they "should". This webinar will take a deeper look at how we can formulate this issue from a Schema Therapy perspective, working with the body and the attachment system in powerful ways, promoting a felt sense of being accepted by God.

Topics covered:

formulating early childhood experiences, church background, cultural background, temperament, trauma and attachment issues at play
working with the over-controller modes
dealing with a pharisaical critic
experiential approaches to Christian shame

The webinar will also provide opportunities to interact with others and reflect on your own clients who struggle with this issue.

Presenter: Ruth Holt, Clinical Psychologist

Photo by Tobias Tullius on Unsplash

SEE FULL DESCRIPTION

Christian clients can have all the right theology, but struggle to feel forgiven and to rest in grace. This webinar will take a deeper look at how we can formulate this issue from a Schema Therapy perspective, working with the body and the attachment system in powerful ways, promoting a felt sense of being accepted by God.

See full description