Unearthing Patterns. Building Freedom. Living More Fully.
What Is Schema Therapy?
At Groundbreaker Therapy, my schema therapy approach goes deep. It’s designed to help you uncover patterns rooted in childhood or long ago that still steer how you feel, think, and act — often unconsciously. The goal is not only to reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression, relationship issues, or burnout, but to change the underlying patterns so that you respond differently, feel differently, and gain greater flexibility in your life.
Schemas are enduring beliefs and emotional patterns that develop when core emotional needs weren’t met early on. These schemas get activated by current events that mirror past hurts, and they trigger coping styles and modes (ways of being) that may have worked once but now hold you back. In our work together, I help you identify those schemas, understand how they play out in your life, and develop healthier ways to live so your patterns serve you rather than harm you.
Who Benefits From This Approach
Schema therapy at Groundbreaker might be a good match if you:
- Find certain problems keep showing up again and again (in relationships, self-image, performance)
- Have done other therapies that helped, but didn’t fully shift the core patterns
- Recognize long-standing emotional pain or coping behaviours rooted in the past
- Are ready to work deeply (which may take more time) and want meaningful change rather than just relief
- Want to break free of the “same story” and build new ways of being
If you’re in a very acute crisis, early trauma stabilization, or need intensive care, we can assess together whether schema therapy is the best next step or if another approach fits better right now.
How I Use Schema Therapy In Sessions
My approach draws from the rich integrative model of schema therapy — combining cognitive techniques, experiential work (imagery, role-play), and behavioral change within the therapeutic relationship.Together we will:
- Discover And Identify – We explore your life history, pinpoint the early emotional needs that weren’t met, and map the schemas (patterns) that developed as a result.
- Link Past, Present, and Patterns – You’ll start to see how early schemas show up now: the triggers, the coping modes, the ways you behave and feel.
- Access Healthy Adult Mode – We strengthen the ‘you’ that can respond intentionally rather than automatically. We practise new behaviours, emotional responses, and boundaries.
- Experiential Change Work – Using imagery, role-play, or dialogue, we work on the emotional and bodily pieces, not just the thoughts. This is where change often deepens.
- Behavioral Pattern-Breaking – We implement concrete changes in your life: alternative responses, healthier coping, new ways of relating and being.
- Integration and Forward Motion – Over time, you’ll build a new way of being: you heal old wounds, shift patterns, and move into more empowered living.
What You Can Expect In Sessions
In our sessions, you’ll experience a mix of understanding, feeling, and doing. Some parts will be reflective—looking at patterns, tracing roots. Other parts will feel active—doing exercises, role-playing, and practicing new responses. Some days will be gentle; other days might stir up uncomfortable stuff. I’ll support you through that, help you make sense of it, and guide you toward growth.
You might find yourself saying things like:
- “I realize I’m doing exactly what that old pattern predicted.”
- “I felt triggered, then I paused instead of reacting.”
- “That old coping trick finally didn’t work, and I saw a new option.”
You’ll leave sessions with insights and small steps to try in your life between sessions. It’s a partnership: you bring your courage and willingness; I bring the approach, guidance, and support.
Why This Approach Matters
Lots of therapy works well for symptoms. Schema therapy zeroes in on deeper patterns. It helps you not just feel better today, but change how your life unfolds. Research suggests that schema therapy can be especially effective for long-standing issues, including personality patterns and relational difficulties. At Groundbreaker Therapy, my aim is to help you unlock freedom from old loops and build durability in your emotional and relational life.
Is This Approach Right For You?
Consider schema therapy if you:
- Experience recurring emotional or relational struggles
- Have tried “standard” therapy and feel stuck
- Want to address underlying patterns rather than only symptoms
- Are willing to engage in deeper work
- Value growth, change, and building more choice in your life
If your current need is crisis stabilization, intense trauma support, or rapid symptom relief, we’ll talk about whether schema therapy is the best fit now or if another approach is more appropriate until you’re ready.
Next Steps
If everything here resonates, let’s connect. Book a consultation to explore how schema therapy could support your next chapter. Bring your questions, your history, your hopes. We’ll decide together if this work is right now, map out a path, and get you moving toward more freedom, clarity, and choice.
