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About ISST

The International Society of Schema Therapy (ISST) is a global organization dedicated to advancing the principles and practice of schema therapy. ISST unites a diverse community of clinicians, researchers, educators, and supporters from around the world, setting high standards for excellence in schema therapy through training programs, workshops, research, and certification opportunities.
 
By signing up for this event, you can get a discount code for your  NEW ISST membership.

Do you want to know more about ISST's Training and Certification?

A Guide to ISST Training and Certification

Get to know Rita Younan, ISST Training Coordinator and Cristina Sterie, ISST Certification Coordinator and learn more about ISST Training and Certification.

They will touch on:

  • Accreditation of Training and eligibility criteria
  • Becoming a Full Member of ISST: advantages
  • Supervision experience and Certification
  • Conferences and CPD
  • The Schema Therapy Community

A letter from ISST's Science & Research Coordinator

- Ilona Krone -

letter

About the event

Everything you need to know about the event

Subtitles languages

16

English, German, Romanian,
French, Polish, Russian,  Italian, Dutch
Ukrainian, Turkish,  Spanish, Portuguese, Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian, Montenegrian

Event Fee

FREE

Register and
 
get access to a
 
full day of pre-recorded
 
presentation from your
 
favourite therapists
 
 
 

Recordings

1 week

Videos & resources
available to watch
for 1 week
online

Event schedule

The event will be hosted in CEST time, however, we are providing time zone equivalents.

8:00 hrs - 08:45 hrs

Finding your inner freedom: Insights for strengthening the Healthy Adult mode
One of the most difficult tasks we face as human beings is expanding the space within us to make healthy choices. Through our life experiences, we develop patterns that keep us stuck, restricting our ability to envision new ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving, and to put our needs and wishes into action. In this presentation, I will argue that the fundamental problem in changing old patterns is a lack of inner freedom. To tackle this problem, I will integrate insights from existential psychology, Buddhist psychology/mindfulness, and schema therapy. The approach I have developed focusses on modes, transient emotional states triggered in specific situations. Modes “take us over,” limiting our ability to envision alternative solutions or take alternate actions. How can we expand our freedom of choice, at those moments when our modes are triggered. Do we give into old patterns? Or can use our inner freedom to imagine doing something different, and take small steps in healthier directions?

09:00 hrs - 09:30 hrs

Introduction to Contextual Schema Therapy

Contextual Schema Therapy: Expanding the bandwidth of schema therapy interventions.

Schema therapist regard themselves as “specialists for interactional problems”. The retention rates are higher than in any other therapeutic approaches. On a practical level, Schema therapy has been integrative from its inception. Contextual Schema Therapy now expands the therapeutic bandwidth into two directions: It matched the essential experiential techniques like imagery rescripting helping the clients to deepen the emotional activation including techniques from somatic experiencing to understand, how childhood experiences impact the present moment. On the other hand, we include the processes of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to strengthen Healthy Adult functioning This presentation introduces you to the modifications of the model to make it match with dimensional constructs and the practical application.

09:30 hrs - 10:00 hrs

Myself and Others: Role Reversal in Chairwork
Role reversal is a poweful technique that we widely use in schema therapy. Most of the chairwork is built on role reversal. It is about ‘being the other’, feeling and thinking like the other, and looking at things from the its eyes. While it is highly effective in getting to know different sides of a client and labeling the modes, roles can be reversed with anyone, and anything including somatic feelings, dream symbols, and metaphors.  In this presentation, I will briefly discuss role-reversal from a psychodrama perspective, then explore and give examples to its potential uses in schema therapy.

10:00hrs - 11:00 hrs    

Schema Trauma Intensive Psychotherapy (STIP): a 8 days program
Schema Trauma Intensive Psychotherapy (STIP): a 8 days program The development of schemas and modes is often rooted in life events, with trauma frequently being a significant underlying factor. When trauma is at the forefront, it is preferable to address it first. Even when trauma has been (largely) successfully treated, it can still be strongly associated with schemas and modes, sometimes due to the severity of the trauma or the patient's coping mechanisms. In this lecture, we present a short-term day treatment programme, STIP Schema Trauma Intensive Psychotherapy), consisting of eight days of therapy and one follow-up group sessions. The group therapy involves 8-10 patients and is facilitated by two therapists. The morning sessions focus on five traumas directly linked to schemas and modes, using techniques such as imagery with rescripting, historical role-play, and EMDR combined with boxing. The afternoon sessions concentrate on schema experiential techniques aimed at altering schemas and modes, and strengthening the healthy side of the patient in selfcare and interpersonal contacts so they can live more in line with their healthy needs, values, and norms. We will also provide insight into future developments, with time for questions at the end.

11:00 hrs - 11:30 hrs

Working creatively with Schema Therapy
This session will look at how to use schema therapy in creative ways to better engaged clients, especially those that find it difficult to express themselves verbally. The talk will mainly focus on the combining of schema therapy with modalities such as EMDR or sand tray work.

11:30 hrs - 12:30hrs

Global perspectives on schema therapy
Round table
Join our international panel of schema therapists for a 60-minute round table discussion, where they will share insights on schema therapy from a global perspective. The session will cover topics such as prevalent schemas and modes observed in their countries of practice, cultural challenges in delivering schema therapy, and their views on the future directions of schema therapy worldwide.

12:30 hrs - 13:00 hrs

When good performance is not good enough: working in high-demanding level fields
Discussion of how schema therapeutic methods can be utilized when working to helping ”experts” in high-demanding fields (e.g. athletes, artists, pilots, CEOs). What is good to take into account and which factors are important.

13:00 hrs - 13:30 hrs hrs

Adapting Schema Therapy to Japanese Culture: Exploring 'Parent Mode Dynamics'
Schema Therapy, when applied to Japanese (and potentially other Asian) clients, often requires cultural adaptation. Japanese clients frequently exhibit strong reluctance to confront parental figures, even in imaginary exercises. Their Healthy Adult mode may partially merge with their Parent mode, necessitating a more nuanced approach. This presentation explores careful and gradual strategies for addressing the Parent mode in Japanese clients, with a particular focus on implementing culturally sensitive experiential techniques.

13:30 hrs - 14:30 hrs

Introduction to Schema Therapy for Children and Adolescents

Schema Therapy (ST), developed by Jeffrey Young is an enhancement and further development of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with a particular emphasis on the integration of emotional, attachment and developmental factors as central components of both assessment and therapy.  ST is based on a model of schemas, modes and basic childhood needs that interact and evolve over the course of the lifespan, playing a key role in the development of psychological problems. Therefore, ST – as a technical and strategic variant of CBT – is a model which apppears to be well suited to the field of child and adolescent therapy, with a range of powerful techniques that generate emotional, interpersonal, cognitive and behavioural transformation.

The presentation includes a general theoretical introduction to ST-CA and is completed by praxis-oriented and age-appropriated approaches for Children aged 4-7, 6-13, 12-18, and 17-25

15:00 hrs - 15:30 hrs

ST and Addiction "Case Presentation"
We will discuss the Efficacy of Schema Focused Therapy Approach with Addiction, by present a case study for male patient diagnosed with Substance misuse and Sex Addiction, and ST formulate him and helped him in his rehabilitation journey, with highlighting the role of Subjection and enmeshment life traps in raising his self-soothing, seeking approval and subjection coping mode throw his life spam.

15:30 hrs - 17:00 hrs

A Unique Approach to Some of the Most Challenging Issues in Treatment: Schema Therapy, The Core Model

Schema therapy is an innovative, integrative therapeutic approach, developed (by Dr. Jeffrey Young) as an expansion of traditional cognitive-behavioral treatments. The schema approach draws from cognitive-behavioral therapy, attachment theory, psychodynamic concepts, and emotion-focused therapies, emphasizing lifelong patterns, meeting early (unmet) emotional needs, affective change techniques, and the therapy relationship – with special emphasis on imagery rescripting and empathic confrontation. Schema therapy is particularly well-suited for difficult, resistant clients with entrenched, chronic psychological disorders, including personality disorders, eating disorders, intractable relationship problems, and unremitting emotional problems. It is also effective for relapse prevention in depression, anxiety, and process/substance addictions. Evidence has shown that clients who spend years gaining valuable insight with other treatments, but who are frustrated by their lack of progress, often respond well to the active, systematic, flexible, and depth-oriented schema approach. This seminar will include a combination of teaching methods, including lecture, demonstration, question-and-answer periods, and the discussion of the obstacles we face in the treatment room, including therapist's own schemas.

17:00 hrs - 18:00 hrs

Group Schema Therapy: a catalyst to Schema and mode change.
This presentation will summarize the group schema therapy (GST) model, its core components, and its evidence base. GST is consistent with the theoretical model developed by Jeffrey Young (2003) while adapting core ST interventions for the group modality. GST integrates cognitive, behavioral, experiential, and process components of the group to catalyze the therapeutic factors groups possess (Yalom). The sense of belonging, acceptance, universality, and opportunities for social interaction guided by the therapist that ST groups provide are particularly healing for patients with personality disorders and trauma histories. GST is being used successfully for a wide variety of clinical conditions and in Self-Practice Self-Reflection groups for therapists. Dr. Farrell and Ida Shaw are the main developers of the GST model tested in two randomized controlled trials (2009, 2022), and they have published two books on GST and integrating individual and group ST (Group Schema Therapy for Borderline Personality Disorder, 2012 and The Schema Therapy Clinician’s Guide, 2014) Jeffrey Young, after attending a GST workshop, said: “Group Schema Therapy has the potential to deliver the powerful treatment strategies of the schema approach in a more cost-effective manner than has been possible with individual schema therapy—with equivalent or perhaps superior results

19:00 hrs - 19:30 hrs

ST and collective trauma - yes or no?
We all know that Schema therapy works with developmental trauma, and we all know how effective that work is. But, what about traumas that happen later in life? What about societal and collective trauma? In this brief presentation, we will share “success stories” and challenges we have encountered in adapting Schema therapy to work with collective trauma such as wars, social injustice, political unrests, school shootings, pandemic or natural disasters. By doing so, we hope to further promote Schema therapy as an effective treatment for collective traumas and spark a collaborative effort to develop a "Collective Trauma-Informed Schema Therapy" approach.

19:30 hrs - 20:00 hrs

Romanian culture reflected through Schema Therapy lenses
Stories and fairy tales represent the archetypes of the culture in which they were created, bringing together personal patterns and inter-relational dynamics specific to the space they originate from. In this session, we will present the schemes and modes specific to the Romanian cultural space, through the lens of a representative fairy tale, in an experiential manner and with the help of a tool created by our colleague, Diana Teodorescu. We hope it will be an unusual session that will delight both the Happy Child and awaken the curiosity of the Healthy Adult.

20:00 hrs - 21:00 hrs

 

Our New Model of Core Emotional Needs: Why it is Needed and its Implications for Treatment
Dr. Lockwood will expand upon his initial introduction of the model through his recent ISST Webinar with David Edwards through providing additional case examples further clarifying each of the 7 dimensions. He will also provide a brief outline of the empirical and theoretical foundation of the model and demonstrate how it integrates the central findings of decades of attachment theory and research into the Schema Therapy model. The ways it increases therapeutic leverage will be outlined. He will also provide an overview of how the soon the be launched online schema therapy platform (eSchemaTherapy) will allow for a more thorough, systematic and efficient assessment of these and all the other Schema Therapy based patterns central to effective treatment allow for a more thorough, systematic and efficient assessment of these and all the other Schema Therapy based patterns central to effective treatment

9.00 pm
9.30 pm

Schema Therapy for clients with Anorexia Nervosa
Overview of schema therapy approach to treatment of anorexia nervosa. Case example used to illustrate application of schema therapy in extreme severe anorexia nervosa case.

21:30hrs - 22:00 hrs

Strengths-based limited reparenting: practical ways to incorporate positive psychology in schema therapy practice
In this presentation we will present how schema therapists can incorporate positive psychology into their practice. Particularly, we will show how strength-based parenting can be effectively integrated into limited reparenting strategy. Strength-based limited reparenting helps clients to identify their strengths, use them to solve problems, have needs met, heal schemas and grow their Healthy Adult mode

22:00 hrs - 22:30hrs 

Schema therapy strategies to nurture self-compassion
The main goal is to address some key strategies for working with families, patients, and therapists who have tendencies toward self-sacrifice and subjugation. The focus will be on the importance of connecting with emotions and using our anger constructively as a way to set healthy boundaries.

22:30 hrs - 23:00 hrs

On Autonomy
This presentation will be a reflection of the innate core need to develop a more autonomous self; the relational aspects that can support or undermine a greater sense of autonomy; The autonomy vs. attachment conflict that can exist within oneself and how this conflict can be developed.

Country Programmes

On the 12th October, many countries are also celebrating WSTD, have a look at their programmes.

Mexico

This programme will be hosted in the country's local time. Click on 'See programme' to find out more information.

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New Zealand

This programme will be hosted in the country's local time. Click on 'See programme' to find out more information.

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Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, N. Macedonia, Slovenia, Croatia

This programme will be hosted in the country's local time. Click on 'See programme' to find out more information.

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Turkey

This programme will be hosted in the country's local time. Click on 'See programme' to find out more information.

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Romania

This programme will be hosted in the country's local time. Click on 'See programme' to find out more information.

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Russia

This programme will be hosted in the country's local time. Click on 'See programme' to find out more information.

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Lithuania

This programme will be hosted in the country's local time. Click on 'See programme' to find out more information.

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Estonia

This programme will be hosted in the country's local time. Click on 'See programme' to find out more information.

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Hungary

This programme will be hosted in the country's local time. Click on 'See programme' to find out more information.

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Taking part in WSTD