Schema-Focused Therapy

Schema-Focused Therapy helps Identify and shift deep-rooted patterns that shape your emotions, beliefs, and relationships.

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Do you ever feel like you know what you “should” do yet you keep reacting in the same painful ways? Maybe you people-please, shut down, overthink, cling, push away, or criticise yourself no matter how hard you try to change. Schema-Focused Therapy helps you understand why these patterns developed, and supports you to heal them at the root—not just manage the symptoms.

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What are “schemas”?

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Schemas are long-standing emotional and belief patterns, often formed in childhood or early life experiences. They can show up as persistent messages like

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• “I’m not enough.”

• “People leave.”

• “I have to be perfect to be accepted.”

• “My needs don’t matter.”

• “It’s not safe to trust.”

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Even when life is going well, schemas can get triggered—shaping how you feel, what you expect from others, and how you respond in relationships.

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How Schema-Focused Therapy can help

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Schema therapy blends evidence-based approaches (including CBT, attachment-informed work, and experiential techniques) to support real, lasting change. Together, we’ll

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• Identify your core schemas and where they came from

• Understand your coping styles (e.g., avoidance, overcompensating, pleasing, withdrawing)

• Work with different “modes”—the parts of you that feel vulnerable, angry, detached, or driven

• Use gentle, effective techniques to heal emotional wounds, build self-compassion, and meet unmet needs in healthier ways

• Practise new ways of responding so you can feel more secure, confident, and connecte

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This may be a good fit if you…

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• Feel stuck in repeating relationship patterns

• Experience chronic anxiety, shame, or low self-esteem

• Struggle with boundaries, people-pleasing, or perfectionism

• Find it hard to trust, open up, or feel emotionally safe

• Notice intense emotional triggers that feel “bigger than the moment”

• Want deeper, longer-term change—not just coping strategies

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What to expect in sessions

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Schema work is collaborative, compassionate, and paced to feel safe. We’ll combine insight with practical change, and may use approaches like imagery, chair work, emotion-focused exercises, and real-life pattern-breaking steps—always tailored to you.

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Ready to break the cycle?

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If you’re tired of repeating the same emotional loops and want to create healthier inner beliefs and relationships, schema-focused therapy can help. Get in touch to book a consultation and we’ll explore what support would feel most helpful for you.

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