Schema Therapy Curriculum

Rakhawy Institute for Training and Research (RITR)

International Society for Schema Therapy (ISST)

Schema Therapy Institute East Switzerland (ISTOS)

Schema Therapy Diploma for Arabic Speaking Professionals

Training Curriculum in Schema Therapy

First workshop: October 10,11,12, 2024

Second workshop: October 31, November   1,2,2024

Third Workshop: January   23,24,25, 2025

Time: 10 am to 3.45 pm

Total training hours in the project: 40 hours

Duration of the whole project:

half a year

The certification process is only possible if participants attend all 3 workshops

Note: At the end of the training (40 hour), the trainee obtains an accredited diploma in schema therapy from International Society for Schema Therapy (ISST), which is considered the first step in obtaining a certificate as a certified therapist using cognitive schemas. The next step is to attend the supervision to obtain a certified therapist.

Instructor:

Christoph Fuhrman’s M.D. ((Switzerland)

Christoph studied medicine, philosophy, art history and comparative literature in Kiel, Vienna and Berlin.

As a psychiatrist and psychotherapist, he worked as a DBT trainer and since 2008 as Schema Therapist, Schema Therapy and Group Schema Therapy trainer and supervisor (ISST).

He is the founder and leader of the “Schema Therapy Institute East Switzerland” and president of the Swiss Schema Therapy Network.

International presentations and trainings, leader of the Schema Therapy certification training programs in Palestine (since 2018), Egypt (since 2020) and Tunisia (since 2022).

His major regions of interest are psychotherapy and cultural sciences, current developments in psychotherapy (especially in trauma therapy) and Schema Therapy in Arab countries.

He lives and works in Winterthur/Switzerland

What is Schema Therapy?

Schema Therapy is a newly developed integrative psychotherapeutic method. Founded by Jeffrey E. Young, it is designed for the treatment of personality disorders and severe Axis 1 disorders, especially if they failed to respond after having gone through other therapies (for example standard CBT). It combines the best aspects of CBT with humanistic, interpersonal and psychoanalytic elements into one unified model. Schema Therapy spread rapidly in the therapeutic world within the last years, mostly because of its remarkable results. Several controlled studies and one meta-analysis (Arntz et al.) showed that Schema Therapy shows significantly better results and has only one third of drop-outs compared to other inpatient or outpatient psychotherapies.

The core elements of Schema Therapy are the client’s unmet childhood needs. If a child’s emotional needs are repeatedly unfulfilled, the child develops self-defense strategies of beliefs, emotions and expectations about itself and the world, in order to survive the dysfunctional environment in the least painful way. These strategies become personality traits and are called Schemas.

The activated parts of Schemas are called Modes. By a very close and reparenting therapeutic relationship the therapist helps the client to successively realize and fulfill his/her unfulfilled emotional needs. Imagery Rescripting and Reprocessing of traumatic childhood experiences helps the client to get out of the „schema-traps “, to gradually take care for his Inner Child Mode and to overcome the dominance of Dysfunctional Coping Modes in daily life.

The planned Schema Therapy Curriculum consists of 3 basic workshops of 3 days each (ST1-ST3), all together 9 days.

It delivers the required theory hours (at least 40 hours all together) for a diploma as an ISST- certified Schema Therapist.

Participants can book the workshops either individually or book the whole curriculum.

The certification process s only possible if participants attend all 3 workshops.

Workshop 1:

Introduction into Schema Therapy:

Participants will learn about the principles of Schema Therapy: History of Schema Therapy, the central role of basic childhood needs, development and maintenance of early maladaptive schemas (EMS), the 18 maladaptive schemas. Correlation of schemas and schema-modes, introduction into the clinical working with schema-modes (“Mode Work”), overview over the 4 main intervention techniques and the course of a schema therapy.

Days in detail:

Day 1 What are the basic emotional needs? How do Early Maladaptive Schemas (EMS) develop and how are they maintained, how do they influence the adult life?

Day 2 The „Mode-Model “of Inner Punitive Modes, Child Modes and Dysfunctional Coping Modes. How are they related to schemas? How does the client’s individual mode-model work? How to identify modes correctly

Day 3 The role of positive Schemas and how to use them, Case Conceptualization

__________________________________________________________

Methods: ppt-presentation, master role plays, small group exercises, video demonstrations, handouts.

Workshop 2:

Mode Work I – Imagery Work, Chair work and Mode Dialogues:

Using imagination and imaginative rescripting techniques as a central intervention in Schema Therapy. Participants will learn about the correct timing, how to apply the technique itself in the right way in different variations and how to overcome typical obstacles. Participants will practice in small groups different kinds of imaginations including positive, resource-activating imaginations.

Participants will learn how to use chair work as a very efficient emotion-activation technique for emotion activation and for change. Elements of this workshop are the correct timing, the different kinds of chair work, the correct course of applying the technique and how to overcome typical obstacles.

Day 1: Warming up exercise, basics of imagery work end of imagery rescripting as it is used especially in Schema Therapy.

Master role-plays, interactive presentation, illustrative movies and exercising in small groups, Q & A.

Day 2: Continuing practicing imagery rescripting. How to vary the imaginative scenery step-by-step over the course of therapy.

Basics of chair work, mode dialogues on chairs in master role-play, didactical movies and exercising in small groups, Q & A.

Day 3: Chair work with coping modes, inner critic and vulnerable child mode. Illustrative movies, presentation, exercising in small groups, Q & A

Workshop 3

Working within the therapeutic relationship and Case Conceptualization, Schema Therapy for Narcissistic, Cluster C and Borderline Clients:

Finalizing emotion activating techniques in the context of special disorders. Participants learn how to apply Schema Therapy to severe personality disorders like Cluster C and BPD and learn about the advantages of Schema Therapy over traditional therapies for these client groups.

Participants will learn how to use the specific therapeutic technique of “Limited Reparenting”, which includes a very warm and caring attitude towards the client’s “Child Modes” on one hand, and very efficient technique of overcoming dysfunctional Coping Modes, the “Empathic Confrontation”, on the other. Setting limits to client’s destructive modes will be trained as well.

Curriculum of topics in the project:

– The ISST requires 40 hours a 60 minutes basic training – didactic (25 hours) and dyadic training in small groups (15 hours). The following content table must be included:

1 Concept and Case conceptualization

1.1 Schema Theory and Concept

Schemas, Coping Styles, and Modes: Defined and Differentiated

Assessment: including interviews, imagery, and inventories Psycho-education about needs and rights of children, Temperamental Factors

1.2 Treatment Formulation & Case Conceptualization

Clarifying Goals & Needs in Schema Terms and/or Modes

Conceptualizing a Case in Schema Terms and/or modes

2 Therapy Relationship

Limited Re-Parenting

Empathic Confrontation

Limit Setting

Therapists Schemas: Dealing with obstacles in treatment when therapists’

schemas become activated with certain types of patients.

Appropriate use of self-disclosure

3 Schema Therapy techniques

3.1 Cognitive techniques

Diaries

Flashcards

3.2 Experiential techniques I (Imagery work)

Imagery & Imagery re-scripting

Linking Schemas/modes with Early Childhood Experiences

Limited Re-Parenting with Child modes, especially with the Vulnerable and Angry Child Modes,

3.3 Experiential techniques II (e.g. Mode dialogues & Roleplay)

ST dialogues with schemas and modes

Empathic Confrontation/limit setting for Maladaptive Coping Modes Confronting and limit setting for Punitive and Demanding Parent Modes Role-Plays

3.4 Homework assignments and behavior change strategies

4 Specific Treatment Populations

4.1 Schema Mode Work with Personality disorders

BPD (required)

Cluster C (required) NPD

Other Personality Disorders

PDs become required as trials support the effectiveness of ST for them

4.4 Schema Therapy with other Axis-I-Disorders (optional until an evidence base

is established)

Addiction

Eating Disorders

PTSD OCD

5 Literature

Reinventing Your Life

Schema Therapy: A Practitioner’s Guide.

Other Reading Materials

Note: ISST requirements for an ISST Standard Certification diploma are (see also www.schematherapysociety.org):

• 40 hours of theory and dyadic practice (covered by the workshop curriculum)
• 20 hours of supervision a 50 minutes, either individually or in groups, can be provided face to face or via Skype etc.
• Written case conceptualization of one case, rated by an independent Supervisor according to the “Schema Therapy Case Conceptualization Rating Scale, STCCRS”, ranging from 1-6, applicants must reach a mean score of 4.0 or higher
• Taped video session (minimum 45 minutes), rated by an independent Schema Therapy supervisor according to the “Schema Therapy Competency Rating Scale, STCRS”, which ranges from 1-6, applicants must reach a score of 4.0 or higher (not too difficult …)
• Being Member of the ISST

*****Arabic translation will be provided *****

For further information please contact:
Tel: 01091373865, 01118438327

Email: Info@rakhawyinstitute.org

For registration, please submit your application through the following link:

Reservation is confirmed only by payment and please note that number of participants is limited.