Schema therapy is an integrative approach that explores problematic and dysfunctional patterns in thinking, feeling, and experiencing the world and relationships. These patterns often develop as a consequence of early needs not being met. These needs might be for connection, autonomy, play and spontaneity, limits and assertion. These patterns are often reinforced and reiterated throughout a person’s life, impacting their functioning. Common schema patterns include abandonment/instability, emotional-deprivation, self-sacrifice, subjugation, impaired limits/grandiosity, emotional inhibition and unrelenting standards/hyper-criticalness. These patterns are often perpetuated by specific coping mechanism (e.g. avoidance, over-compensating, and/or surrender) and modes (e.g detached protector, lonely child) of experiencing the world. Situations might trigger our underlying schemas and set off a cascade of reactions. Schema therapy is an effective therapy for recognising these components of the psyche. Furthermore, it is effective for assisting people to foster greater secure adult and child modes.

Excessive over-thinking in the form of worry, rumination, and judgement often lead to a range of psychological problems. During the day we often get caught up in this over-thinking in our attempt to analyse our way out of a problem. This over-thinking then leads on to experiential avoidance and an unwillingness to accept uncertainty or challenges in life. We end up in an internal battle with our minds. Acceptance and commitment therapy is a wonderful treatment that teaches us to let go of and defuse from this over-thinking. In addition, ACT includes ways to operate from our values in life without being derailed by worry, self-criticism, and other bundles of thought

Contained within our emotional experience is often a wealth of meaning. Furthermore, each emotion can come with a specific set of sensations, motivations, and functions. For example, shame often makes us feel over-exposed, like there is something unworthy or wrong with ourselves. As a result we might want to hide away or cover our face. Emotion focused therapy involves focusing on and processing emotional and somatic experiences. EFT helps people to move past unhealthy patterns of emotional experience by accessing, understanding, and processing blocked emotions such as sadness or anger.

Internal family systems therapy is aimed at recognising different parts of the psyche involved in our struggles. These parts sometimes include managers, fire-fighters, and exiles. Managers and fire-fighters are coping mechanisms that often develop to deal with stress or anxiety, to remain in control, or to mitigate disasters and chaos. Exiles are the parts of ourselves that get banished or squashed depending on life experiences. For example, an exiled part might be vulnerable, sad, emotional, or strong and assertive. IFS aims to recognise, and bring compassion to these experiences so that the exiled parts can be integrated and our true Self can be accessed. The idea being that this Self is where calm, courage, compassion, confidence, and connection reside.