Chapter 17 - Group Schema Therapy

Summary

Group schema therapy is well established as an effective format for the provision of schema-mode work. The group format appears to catalyse the effects of schema therapy through the context of a group ‘family’. This microcosm of the outside world provides a foundational healing environment that imparts a sense of belonging and opportunities for vicarious learning. Participants learn to develop ways of getting their own needs met by internalising reparenting messages from the group and eventually through the evolution of their own Healthy Adult selves. Schema healing takes place through limited reparenting of all participants’ Vulnerable Child selves. This is provided within the context of a range of experiential techniques,- including chairwork dialogues, Imagery rescripting, empathic confrontation, and historical roleplay/psychodrama, in which all participants play a role. Schema challenging is particularly potent within group context, through the collective strength of the emerging group Healthy Adult, which can challenge out-of-date schema messages and provide the compassion, warmth, and connectivity that is needed for healing to take place.