Schema Therapy Institute Australia

Schema Therapy Institute Australia �
Schema Therapy Institute Australia is dedicated to helping clients with their goals and achieving well-being.

Schema Therapy Institute specializes in intensive Schema based therapy training, treatment and research.

In Schema Therapy, schemas are enduring patterns of thinking, feeling, and relating to ourselves and others, often shape...
02/06/2026

In Schema Therapy, schemas are enduring patterns of thinking, feeling, and relating to ourselves and others, often shaped by early experiences. Today, we're focusing on the Dependence/Incompetence schema.

This schema often develops when our core needs for autonomy and competence are not adequately supported in childhood. It can arise when caregivers are overprotective, controlling, or overly involved in decision-making and problem-solving. While these caregivers may have had good intentions, they may have unintentionally communicated that we are not capable of managing things on our own. As a result, we may come to believe that we are unable to cope effectively with everyday responsibilities without significant help from others.

When this schema is activated, it can show up as feelings of helplessness, anxiety, or self-doubt. You might notice thoughts like "I can't do this on my own" or "I'll get it wrong if I don't have help." In response to these thoughts, we might avoid taking on new challenges, seek excessive reassurance, rely heavily on others to make decisions, or underestimate our own abilities. Alternatively, we may overcompensate by becoming highly independent and refusing support, even when it would be helpful.

While these coping styles may have originally helped manage feelings of uncertainty or vulnerability, over time they can reinforce the belief that we are not capable and limit opportunities to build confidence and competence.

The healthy adult mode helps us to gradually recognise when this schema is being triggered and respond differently. This often begins with building awareness, understanding the schema, and noticing the situations that activate it. From there, we might practice making decisions independently, take small steps outside our comfort zone, and acknowledge evidence of our own capability. Learning to tolerate uncertainty and trust our skills can feel challenging at first, but with repeated experiences of success, we can strengthen our confidence and develop a greater sense of autonomy.

Interested in learning more? See our 7 minute schema episode on this topic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2aKLtJh_zE

STIA Werribee is growing ✨At STIA, we’re passionate about creating a supportive, innovative, and collaborative space for...
25/05/2026

STIA Werribee is growing ✨

At STIA, we’re passionate about creating a supportive, innovative, and collaborative space for clinicians to thrive. If you’re looking for meaningful work, ongoing professional development, and the opportunity to work with diverse and complex presentations across the lifespan, we’d love to hear from you!

Why join STIA?
• Supportive and collaborative team culture
• Ongoing supervision & professional development opportunities
• Flexible work that supports the balance of your career and lifestyle
• Diverse and rewarding clinical work

📩 Apply via seek or send expressions of interest to training@stia.com.au

Connection is built in the small moments and eroded in them too. Which direction are your patterns pointing?
18/05/2026

Connection is built in the small moments and eroded in them too. Which direction are your patterns pointing?

Did you know that many of our clinicians provide supervision?We offer:• Certification supervision• General supervision• ...
15/05/2026

Did you know that many of our clinicians provide supervision?

We offer:
• Certification supervision
• General supervision
• Clinical supervision for registrars
• Schema-informed supervision

We value supervision that is reflective, collaborative, and developmentally attuned. Reach out to our intake team to enquire about supervision with one of our skilled clinicians.

Invalidation isn’t always obvious.It can sound like:“That’s nothing to get upset about.”“Don’t be mad.”“They didn’t mean...
13/05/2026

Invalidation isn’t always obvious.

It can sound like:
“That’s nothing to get upset about.”
“Don’t be mad.”
“They didn’t mean it.”

Often, it comes from a good place: wanting to soothe, fix, or minimise pain.
But invalidation can have a negative impact on an individual. Invalidation teaches us that our emotions are wrong, too much, or shouldn’t exist. Over time, this can disconnect us from our own internal world, making us question or feel shame about our emotions.

Feelings aren’t right or wrong. They’re signals often pointing to needs, values, and experiences. When emotions are avoided or suppressed, they don’t disappear.
They tend to become more intense of show up in other ways. And pain that is minimised or denied doesn’t get the chance to heal.

Validation doesn’t mean agreeing with everything someone feels or does.
It means making space for their experience to exist.

This could sound like:
“I can see why you’d feel that way.”
“That makes sense, given what you’ve been through.”
“I’m here with you.”

Every clinician knows the call. The case that everyone else has referred out. The client whose presentation doesn't fit ...
09/05/2026

Every clinician knows the call. The case that everyone else has referred out. The client whose presentation doesn't fit anywhere clean. Dissociation. Severe trauma. The parts of the work that don't have easy answers.

For forty years, Ida Shaw has been the clinician who stayed in those rooms. On Wednesday, May 13 at 12:00 PM Eastern, Joan Farrell joins her live for a deeper conversation about the DID work Ida presented at the December symposium. This is the launch of JYSTA's In Dialogue Series, and it's the kind of conversation you only get when two people who have worked together for forty years sit down and actually talk.

If you're a JYSTA member, RSVP inside the Mighty platform to get the Zoom link. Watch Ida's symposium recording first (it drops May 5), then send your strongest question by Sunday, May 11.

Jeffrey Young Schema Therapy Association

In Schema Therapy, schemas are enduring patterns of thinking, feeling, and relating to ourselves and others, often shape...
05/05/2026

In Schema Therapy, schemas are enduring patterns of thinking, feeling, and relating to ourselves and others, often shaped by early experiences. Today, we’re focusing on the Emotion Deprivation schema.

This schema often develops when our core needs for support and validation are not adequately met in childhood. It often arises when caregivers are not fully attuned to our needs. They may miss cues, misinterpret them, or recognise them but not have the internal resources to respond in helpful ways. Generally, we may have missed out on feeling truly understood, supported, or heard. As a result, we may come to believe that our emotional needs will not be met or that others won't understand us.

When this schema is activated, it can show up as feelings of emptiness, loneliness, or feeling unseen. You might notice thoughts like 'no-one really gets me', or 'there's no point in asking for support'. In response to these thoughts we might withdraw from others, not express our needs, or gravitate toward relationships where emotional connection is limited or one-sided. Alternatively, we might become more demanding or highly expressive of our needs.

While these coping styles may have originally helped manage painful experiences, over time they can maintain disconnection and reinforce the schema.

The healthy adult mode helps us to gradually recognise when this schema is being triggered and respond differently. This often begins with building awareness, understanding the schema, and how it gets triggered in our life. From there, we might reflect on whether our relationships are meeting our emotional needs, reassess expectations of others, and experiment with expressing our needs in helpful ways in safe relationships. Practicing vulnerability can feel uncomfortable at first, but learning to experience and communicate emotions in small, manageable ways can help increase our connection with others and heal our schema.

Interested in learning more? See the links below to watch our 7 minute schema episodes on this topic.

Part 1 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNQX1-4h3bs
Part 2 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhT--1-SuvQ

Are you an EMDR therapist who also uses imagery?Or a schema therapist wondering when to use imagery rescripting… vs EMDR...
01/05/2026

Are you an EMDR therapist who also uses imagery?

Or a schema therapist wondering when to use imagery rescripting… vs EMDR?

Do you find yourself asking: “Which approach is actually best here?”

You’re not alone.

Many therapists are trained in both approaches, but feel unsure about:
– When to use EMDR vs imagery rescripting
– How they overlap (and where they don’t)
– Whether they can be meaningfully integrated

This applied workshop is designed to bring clarity to that exact space.

You’ll learn to:
• Understand the theoretical foundations of both approaches
• Identify key similarities and differences
• Integrate EMDR and imagery rescripting in clinical practice
• Observe real clinical examples
• Reflect on ethical considerations in trauma work

Led by Dr Rita Younan and Dr Sarah Dominguez, this workshop brings together expertise in schema therapy, EMDR, and trauma-focused care.

⚠️ This training is designed for therapists with prior training and experience in EMDR and imagery work.

If you’ve been working across both models and want more confidence and clarity in how you use them—this is for you.

For more info: https://bookwhen.com/schedule-other-st/e/ev-sh7d7-20260520090000

You may have noticed increasing discussion about psychedelic-assisted therapy as a new and sometimes misunderstood appro...
27/04/2026

You may have noticed increasing discussion about psychedelic-assisted therapy as a new and sometimes misunderstood approach to mental health treatment. While it might sound unfamiliar or even confronting, this type of therapy is now being carefully researched and, in some cases, used in clinical settings, including here in Australia. Read this month's blog post to learn more about this therapeutic approach ✨

www.stia.com.au/blog/psychedelic-assisted-therapy 🔗

Are you a helper? Do you tend to jump in quickly to support another person?While this caring nature can be a wonderful p...
19/04/2026

Are you a helper? Do you tend to jump in quickly to support another person?

While this caring nature can be a wonderful part of us, it is also helpful to consider: 'Is my helping always about the other person… or sometimes about me?'

If you resonate with self-sacrifice or a people-pleasing mode, you might:
– Jump in quickly to fix
– Offer advice before it’s asked for
– Feel uncomfortable sitting with someone’s distress

Helping can feel generous and selfless, but sometimes it’s also driven by a need to:
• feel useful
• avoid our own discomfort of seeing someone else's pain
• maintain connection or approval
• reduce our own anxiety about an 'un-fixed' problem

And when that’s happening, it can quietly take something away from the other person: their autonomy, their voice, their own process of dealing with problems.

A small shift we can make is instead of: “Have you tried ___?”

We can try: “Would you like my thoughts or advice?”

It’s simple, but powerful. It brings consent and respect back into the interaction.

A gentle guide to more considered 'helping':
– Pause before responding
– Notice your urge to step in (what’s driving it?)
– Check if help is wanted
– Make space to hear “no” from the person
– Stay present even when you can’t fix

Address

172 Buckley Street, Essendon
Melbourne, VIC
3040

Telephone

+61393312878

Website

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