Schema Therapy

The integration of clinical psychology with positive psychology approaches has historically been limited in scope (Wood & Tarrier, 2010). Rather than a relentless focus on the reduction of negative aspects of human distress, the boosting of positive strengths and healthy aspects of the self have been gaining increasing attention as psychological therapies develop and refine. Schema therapy is an integrative psychotherapy, which was originally developed for personality disorders, but has increasingly been tailored and applied to other disorders. The model schema therapy is based on proposes that when basic needs are not met in development, this leads to negative beliefs, maladaptive schemas, unhelpful ways of being and, negative/exaggerated responses, and a lack of positive and adaptive schemas and behaviors. The schema therapy model is sometimes seen as being focused on negative beliefs and early maladaptive schemas. However, the schema therapy approach identifies both negative and positive schema modes and uses techniques to boost those which are positive as well as reducing those which are negative. Schema therapy can be delivered as a one to one individual therapy, as couples therapy, and as a group therapy approach. This chapter examines how schema therapy seeks to reduce negative schemas and schema modes but also the significant role of the therapy in seeking to enhance positive schemas and positive schema modes. The aim is to demonstrate how schema therapy could be considered as making a contribution to the development of positive clinical psychology.