Schema Therapy in Buffalo, New York, and Pennsylvania

Is traditional talk therapy not working for you?

No matter how much you talk about your feelings, you still have nagging negative core beliefs such as “I’m not good enough” or “I’m not lovable”
You have ways of coping with your feelings that negatively impact yourself or people around you
You want to explore “why I am the way I am”

A schema is a broad, pervasive theme or pattern comprised of memories, emotions, cognitions, and bodily sensations regarding oneself and one’s relationships with others. These can be adaptive (positive) or maladaptive (negative).
Schema therapy uses a mixture of talk therapy, imagery, role play, and behavioral change to help you overcome negative thought patterns and learn better ways to cope with your childhood experiences.
•People with strongly held core beliefs that are not easily reframed with cognitive techniques
•People who struggle with motivation for therapy or who struggle with feeling empowered to make changes
•People who are unable to express how they feel or why they feel that way
•People who have been in therapy for years without seeing any sustained changes
•People with vague, chronic, and/or pervasive issues that are not easily explained
•People with poor emotion regulation
•People with personality disorders
•People experiencing major crises in some life area
•People experiencing psychosis
•People with acute, severe, untreated disorders requiring immediate attention
•People who are actively using substances at a moderate to severe level
•People with presenting problems that are situational or do not seem related to a life pattern or schema
I use schema therapy with both individuals and couples with great success.

Understand why you and/or your partner react certain ways to certain triggers
Overcome negative thought patterns and beliefs about yourself and/or your partner
Meet your own childhood needs that may have been unmet by your caregivers
Learn skills to cope with your emotions and triggers in healthier ways