Keynote: The Evidence-Base of Schema Therapy: Treatment Effectiveness Studies

This presentation will review the treatment outcome studies that provide the evidence base for Jeffrey Young’s model of Schema Therapy. The randomized controlled trials conducted, the treatment manuals utilized, and the clinical populations involved will be described. It will also cover how therapists were trained for these studies and discuss the study designs. The main concepts of Young’s ST model and its theory of how psychological problems develop and how change occurs will be reviewed. The importance of clearly identifying the model of Schema Therapy, which the current body of outcome studies supports, will be discussed. Recent efforts to alter the Young ST model will be evaluated in terms of need, clinical utility and their standing related to the evidence base of Young’s ST model.