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.
Speakers
Robin SpiroClick for moreRobin Spiro
Psychotherapist and international trainer specializing in
Complex Trauma, Dissociative Disorders, and Schema Therapy
. Over 25 years of clinical experience, with a focus on integrating schema therapy with trauma and dissociation-specific interventions. Experienced supervisor, presenter, and workshop leader, with contributions to ISST international conferences and training initiatives across multiple countries.
Judith MargolinClick for moreDr. Margolin is a Certified Advanced Schema Therapist, Supervisor of Schema Therapy currently in private practice. She is a member of the Visiting Faculty at the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, Rutgers University, New Jersey. She is a Clinical Supervisor and member of the Medical Staff at Penn Medicine Princeton Health, Princeton House Behavioral Health. where she was the former Clinical Director of the Women’s Trauma Program. Specializing in the treatment of Trauma and Dissociation, she has presented nationally and internationally on a Schema Therapy informed approach to Complex Trauma and Dissociative Identity Disorder. Dr. Margolin is also the author of one of the earliest books on group therapy for sexual abuse,
Breaking the Silence: Group Therapy for Childhood Sexual Abuse, A Practitioner’s Manual
(Haworth,1999), as well as her recently published book
Group Therapy for Complex Trauma – A Schema-Informed Approach
(Routledge, 2025).
