Individual schema therapy: standard and advanced certification training programme

At the end of this course, learners will be able to:

• Apply schema therapy principles and practise schema techniques in a group learning environment.
• Understand the rationale for using schema therapy within the NHS as a second-line treatment.
• Recognise the evidence base supporting schema therapy interventions.
• Engage in group work and discussions to develop practical skills relevant to everyday NHS practice.
• Develop a deeper understanding of the relevance of schema therapy in treating mental health conditions such as complex trauma, emotionally unstable personality disorder (EUPD), treatment-resistant depression and anxiety disorders, and narcissistic personality disorder.
• Appreciate the suitability of schema therapy as a longer-term intervention for patients with complex mental health needs.

Day 1 – 6 October 2025 (09:00 – 17:00)

Module 1: History and evolution of schema therapy
Module 2: Universal core needs and linking to the rights of children
Module 3: Temperamental factors and latest evidence base
Module 4: Overview of schemas, coping styles and modes

Day 2 – 13 October 2025 (09:00 – 17:00)
Module 5: Cultural, gender and/or sexual orientation sensitivity (TBC)
Module 6: Assessment: interviews, imagery and schema inventories
Module 7: Treatment formulation & case conceptualisation

Day 3 – 3 November 2025 (09:00 – 17:00)
Module 8: Therapeutic relationship and therapists’ own schemas and modes
Module 9: Stages of treatment, schema therapy techniques: bonding, grounding, emotional regulation

Day 4 – 10 November 2025 (09:00 – 17:00)
Module 10: Education & change work enhancement & integration of healthy adult mode skills and strategies
Module 12: Utilising therapeutic relationship for change
Module 13: Utilising cognitive interventions for change
Module 14: Utilising empathic confrontation for change
Module 15: Utilising cognitive interventions for change

Day 5 – 17 November 2025 (09:00 – 17:00)
Module 16: Utilising imagery for change
Module 17: Utilising empathic confrontation for change
Module 18: Empathic confrontation – maladaptive coping modes
Module 19: Empathic confrontation – punitive & demanding internal critic mode
Module 20: Utilising chair mode dialogue for change
Module 21: Homework assignments in schema therapy

Day 6 – 8 December 2025 (09:00 – 17:00)
Module 22: Treatment approaches for selected Axis I disorders in the NHS
Module 23: Borderline personality disorder in the NHS
Module 24: Cluster B and Cluster C personality disorders in the NHS
Module 25: Personality disorder self-practice & self-reflection in NHS context
Module 26: Brief ST-based interventions to support the healthy adult mode
Module 27: Interpersonal neurobiology
Module 28: Client autonomy and preparing for the next step in NHS context

Day 7 – 12 December 2025 (13:00 – 17:00)
Module 29: Summary of skills and NHS context

The NHS Long Term Plan (LTP) and related national guidance call for the mobilisation of new therapeutic resources to expand access for 370,000 patients with personality disorders and complex trauma by 2024. Schema therapy has emerged as one of the most effective treatments for complex emotional disorders and is highly valued by both patients and clinicians.

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLAM) has played a leading role in this field, contributing to a 14-year international randomised controlled trial which demonstrated that schema therapy is at least as effective as other leading treatments for borderline personality disorder (BPD), with results published in JAMA Psychiatry (March 2022).

There is growing demand among SLAM practitioners to develop schema therapy skills. In line with SLAM’s strategic priorities, this training supports staff to gain accreditation with respected professional bodies such as BABCP and BPS—enhancing therapy quality and aligning with NHS objectives for service transformation.

The Maudsley Schema Institute offers an in-house training programme consisting of 40 hours (6.5 days) of schema therapy education, accredited by the International Society of Schema Therapy (ISST). This programme counts fully towards the 40-hour training requirement for formal ISST certification.

This training forms part of the NHS commitment to high-quality patient care and staff development. Delivered using a trainee–supervision model, participants provide schema therapy to NHS patients under supervision. Each supervised session counts towards ISST accreditation.

Trainees who complete the SLAM training, see at least two patients for a minimum of 25 sessions each (totalling 80+ sessions), and receive 60 hours of schema supervision over 18 months will meet the practical criteria for ISST practitioner accreditation.

Future

Accredited NHS clinicians will not only deliver high-quality schema therapy to patients but will also be equipped to train other staff and the next generation of therapists.