Guilford Press Schema Therapy: A Practitioner's Guide

Designed to bring about lasting change in clients with personality disorders and other complex difficulties, schema therapy combines proven cognitive-behavioural techniques with elements of interpersonal, experiential, and psychodynamic therapies. This book - written by the model's developer and two of its leading practitioners - is the first major text for clinicians wishing to learn and use this popular integrative approach. Provided in one comprehensive volume are an authoritative conceptual overview and step-by-step guidelines for assessment and treatment. Clinicians learn innovative ways to rapidly conceptualize challenging cases: explore the client's childhood history: identify and modify self-defeating behavioral patterns: use imagery and other experiential techniques in treatment: and maximize the power of the therapeutic relationship. Including detailed protocols for treating borderline personality disorder and narcissistic personality disorder, the book is illustrated with numerous clinical examples. Audience: Psychotherapists from a range of backgrounds, including clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, and clinical social workers, as well as advanced students in these areas. Also of interest to couple and family therapists. CRITICAL ACCLAIM 'Useful verbatim examples are given for treatment of several types of patients....A very good book, and I highly recommend it to both novice and veteran therapists.'--- Psychiatric Times 'A rich and highly informative text that outlines the principles of the schema model, schema assessment and evaluation, and all the major components of schema therapy....The richness of the clinical material is enough to give practitioners a basic understanding of how to apply schema therapy....An insightful, innovative, and thorough treatment approach to personality pathology.' --- Journal of Psychosomatic Research 'This is a superb volume, reflecting many years of astute clinical and theoretical work by very able clinicians....It should appeal to psychotherapy integrationists from many traditions.'--- Psychotherapy Research 'This volume demonstrates in a skillful, highly readable fashion how the standard cognitive therapy approaches to Axis 1 disorders can be expanded and modified to treat personality disorders....Highly recommended for all therapists engaged in treating patients with these very difficult personality problems.'--- Aaron T. Beck, MD 'The work of Young and his colleagues represents both a major contribution to the evolution of cognitive and cognitive-behavioral therapy and an important step toward enhancing the prospects for integrating cognitive therapy with other approaches, particularly psychoanalysis. This book presents schema therapy in clear and generous detail and offers much to the experienced practitioner and the student.' --- Paul L. Wachtel, PhD