Schema Therapy for Complex Trauma – Special topics in Individual and Group Treatment

Effective Schema Therapy for clients with histories of complex trauma depends on two core elements: the strengthening of the Healthy Adult and the establishment of a robust limited reparenting relationship. This workshop will explore common obstacles to these goals and demonstrate strategies for addressing them in both individual and group psychotherapy.

In the context of individual schema therapy, we will highlight two recurring relational challenges. The first is the adult client’s resistance to engaging with their own Vulnerable Child mode—often expressed as distaste, judgment, or self-blame. The second involves developmental histories marked by Emotional Deprivation, Mistrust/Abuse, and Subjugation schemas, which undermine the client’s ability to trust the reparenting relationship. Through clinical examples and practical interventions, we will illustrate ways to understand these dynamics, foster trust, and move toward resolution.

The second part of the workshop will introduce a framework for incorporating Schema Therapy principles into Group Therapy for Complex Trauma. This model provides a context in which to examine trauma related challenges such as shame, mistrust, emotional dysregulation, dissociation, and the activation of survival modes. The workshop will examine common obstacles to cultivating the Healthy Adult and establishing robust reparenting within the group setting, highlighting strategies to maintain safety, address ruptures, and harness peer interactions as vehicles for healing.  Techniques such as building mode awareness, employing experiential methods adapted to groups, and modeling Healthy Adult responses to foster corrective interpersonal experiences will be discussed.

The workshop will provide participants with practical tools to navigate the complexities of trauma-related modes and to strengthen both individual and group-level processes that support recovery and resilience.