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Schema therapy for therapists: books, training, videos and tests

Schema therapy is a method developed by Jeffrey Young: the therapist works with 18 early maladaptive schemas, coping styles and schema modes. The stated aim, in ISST’s words, is to help clients get their core emotional needs met.

The method in short

Developed by
Jeffrey Young
Core concepts
18 early maladaptive schemas in five domains, coping styles, schema modes
Formats and certification
Individual, group, couples and child and adolescent schema therapy; ISST certifies each format separately

Primary sources: ISST: central concepts of schema therapy, JYSTA: the association and Young’s model, ISST: certification categories

We give you information and answer for how we select it. Check terms, prices and dates with the organiser.

Schema Therapy books

Books from our shelves that fit the method. A separate shelf for the method is being built.

Schema Therapy: A Practitioner's Guide
Schema Therapy: A Practitioner's GuideJeffrey E. Young, Janet S. Klosko, Marjorie E. Weishaar
Reinventing Your Life
Reinventing Your LifeJeffrey E. Young, Janet S. KloskoFor clients
Schema Therapy: Distinctive Features
Schema Therapy: Distinctive FeaturesEshkol Rafaeli, David P. Bernstein, Jeffrey Young
Disarming the Narcissist
Disarming the NarcissistWendy T. Behary
The Schema Therapy Clinician's Guide
The Schema Therapy Clinician's GuideJoan M. Farrell, Neele Reiss, Ida A. Shaw

Schema Therapy training

We do not run courses. Each programme has a link to the organiser and a check date.

ISST, International Society of Schema Therapy

Approved schema therapy training programs, by country

The society’s list of providers approved to deliver the training that counts toward ISST certification, grouped by country, with a page for each country. Training given outside an approved programme does not count toward certification.

Format
See each provider
Language
English and other languages, by programme
For
Set by each programme; ISST publishes its own eligibility rules separately

Listed byISST approved programs list

Organiser’s siteChecked: November 1, 2026

ISST, International Society of Schema Therapy

Requirements for ISST certification as a schema therapist (individual)

The society’s own certification route. Training counts if it comes from one approved programme taken in full or from approved modules combined by the applicant. Two levels exist: standard and advanced.

Format
Certification route, not a single course
Language
English
For
A master’s degree in psychology, clinical social work, psychiatric nursing or a counselling field that leads to licensing, or a medical degree with psychiatric residency, plus a licence to practise psychotherapy independently (for training started on or after 1 September 2021); some countries adjust these rules
Organiser’s siteChecked: November 1, 2026

Farrell-Shaw Schema Therapy Institute, USA

Group schema therapy training and supervision (live online)

Online training and supervision from Joan Farrell and Ida Shaw, who describe themselves as developers of the group model. The institute also offers individual and child and adolescent training; the ISST list names it as an approved certification program.

Format
Live online (Zoom)
Language
English
For
See the organiser

Listed byISST approved programs list, United States

Organiser’s siteChecked: November 1, 2026

Schema Therapy Associates, UK

Core workshops and ISST certification programme

Core workshops (a 3-day first workshop and further ones) that cover the curriculum of the provider’s ISST approved certification programme. Single workshops can be taken without joining the whole programme.

Format
Live workshops, described on the page as live and online
Language
English
For
Fluent English, some prior knowledge of schema therapy, two named books read, experience with complex clients; UK eligibility criteria apply for ISST certification

Listed byISST approved programs list, United Kingdom

Organiser’s siteChecked: November 1, 2026

How to choose a programme

  • Recognition. A professional association registry or an accredited provider list.
  • Practice. Hours under supervision and live discussion of your own cases.
  • Teachers. Experience in this particular method.
  • Outcome. A certificate, a path to certification or only knowledge.
  • Entry. Whether you need a base qualification and proof of practice.

Schema Therapy videos

All videos on methods

The Evolving Schema Therapy Model: Controversies, Challenges and New Insights

Channel: Schema Therapy Society · Checked: November 1, 2026

A panel discussion from the ISST Inspire Conference 2026 in Thessaloniki on developments and refinements within the schema therapy model.

Open on YouTube ↗

WSTD 2025 - GROUP ST | The Evidence-Based Model of Group Schema Therapy | Dr. Joan Farrell

Channel: Schema Therapy Society · Checked: November 1, 2026

A keynote by Joan Farrell, a developer of group schema therapy: how the group model evolved from the late 1980s, the research behind it, how co-therapists work together, and the structure and training used to implement it.

Open on YouTube ↗

WSTD 2025 Main Track | The State of Evidence in Schema Therapy | Leonardo Wainer

Channel: Schema Therapy Society · Checked: November 1, 2026

Leonardo Wainer (Brazil) reviews the research on schema therapy, from randomized trials and systematic reviews across several disorders to the limits of the existing studies and the case for multi-centre and cross-cultural work.

Open on YouTube ↗

Schema Therapy associations and institutes

Practitioner registries, training standards, conferences. The links go to official sites; the descriptions are ours.

International

ISST, International Society of Schema Therapy

A not-for-profit member organisation registered in Germany and founded in 2008. It sets standards for training and certification, keeps the lists of approved programs by country, runs a member database for finding a therapist or supervisor and holds conferences.

Official siteChecked: November 1, 2026

International, based in the USA

JYSTA, Jeffrey Young Schema Therapy Association

A professional association for clinicians, researchers, trainers and graduate students that works with the model developed by Jeffrey Young. It offers live sessions with teachers in the field and a symposium archive for members.

Official siteChecked: November 1, 2026

USA

Schema Therapy Institute, New York

The Schema Therapy Institute website: schema theory pages, sample items of the schema inventories, a bibliography, and a note on the international training and certification program run with the New Jersey institute.

Official siteChecked: November 1, 2026

Tests and scales for Schema Therapy

All tests

Short scales to see the starting level and change over time. They are screening, not a diagnosis.

Rosenberg scale

Self-esteem

Self-esteem test

10 questions · about 2 min

CBTSchema therapy

Many tests can be sent to a client as a link (a button on the test page), and the result comes to your email. If answers show signs of risk, the test shows help lines.

Schema Therapy questions

How do I choose a schema therapy training?

Check whether the programme is on ISST’s approved list for your country: only training given inside an approved programme counts toward ISST certification. Compare hours, supervision and entry requirements, which depend on the country and the provider.

How is schema therapy different from CBT?

It grew out of the CBT family but, in the words of training institutes, integrates ideas from attachment theory, psychoanalytic and gestalt therapy. The focus is on schemas, modes and emotional needs, with experiential work such as imagery, rescripting and role play.

What certification levels does ISST have?

Individual schema therapy has two levels, standard and advanced. Group, couples and child and adolescent schema therapy are certified separately. Check the rules for people who started training on or after 1 September 2021 on the ISST site; some countries adjust them, and ISST lists national certification coordinators.

Which scales are used in schema therapy?

The model has its own instruments, such as the Young Schema Questionnaire (YSQ), described on the Schema Therapy Institute site. On our site there are general scales that the catalog links to this approach: attachment (ECR-R), self-esteem (Rosenberg), self-compassion (SCS-SF) and perfectionism (FMPS), which can be sent to a client as a link.

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