Schema therapy is a structured, long-term talking therapy designed to help people understand and heal deep-rooted emotional patterns formed in early life. It combines cognitive, behavioural, and psychodynamic techniques to support lasting change in how we think, feel, and relate.
Schema therapy is especially helpful for people with longstanding emotional or relational difficulties. It’s commonly used for:
Complex trauma (including developmental trauma)
Borderline or avoidant personality features
Chronic depression or anxiety
Repeating life patterns that feel hard to change
Intense emotional reactivity or numbness
Fear of abandonment or rejection
Low self-worth, shame, or people-pleasing behaviours
It is particularly valuable for people who haven’t responded to shorter therapies like CBT, or who want to explore the origins of current struggles in a safe, supportive space. Schema therapy suits individuals who are ready to build self-awareness and work through early life wounds with care and structure.
Weekly, long-term sessions (often 6–18+ months)
Assessment of early life experiences and unmet emotional needs
Identifying core schemas (e.g. abandonment, defectiveness, mistrust)
Learning about “modes” — parts of the self (e.g. inner critic, vulnerable child)
Linking past experiences to current patterns and triggers
Guided imagery and chair work for emotional processing
Behavioural change strategies and coping skills
Building a healthy adult mode for self-compassion and boundaries
Strong emphasis on the therapeutic relationship as a healing space
Regular review of progress and therapy goals
Adaptable for neurodivergent individuals and trauma survivors
Can be delivered online or in person
Suitable for those seeking deep, emotionally focused work
Often combined with DBT, ACT, or medication where needed
Flexible pace, led by safety and trust
At Bloomfield Health, our therapists use schema therapy with care, depth, and compassion. We take time to build trust and tailor the therapy to your unique story — helping you explore deep patterns in a trauma-informed, non-pathologising way. Whether you’re navigating complex emotions, intense relationships, or early life wounds, we create a steady, supportive space for healing. Our clinicians are experienced in working with neurodivergence, dissociation, and relational trauma.
While CBT focuses on present thoughts and behaviours, schema therapy explores deeper emotional patterns formed in childhood or early life.
Yes — it has strong evidence for personality disorders, chronic depression, and treatment-resistant cases.
Yes — schema therapy gently explores your history to understand how past experiences shape present difficulties.
It’s a longer-term therapy, often lasting 12 months or more. Progress happens through steady, deep work over time.
Absolutely. We often combine schema therapy with psychiatry, medication, or DBT skills as needed.
Yes — schema therapy can be adapted to suit different processing styles, communication needs, and sensory sensitivities.
It can be — but it’s paced carefully, with safety and trust always at the centre of the process.
Please contact us to book an initial session. We’ll help assess your needs and match you with a schema-informed therapist.
We are registered by the Care Quality Commission (CQC),
the independent regulator of health and social care in England.
