Schema therapy was developed by Jeffrey E. Young for use in the treatment of personality disorders and other chronic conditions such as long-term depression, anxiety, and eating disorders.
Schema therapy is often utilized when patients fail to respond or relapse after having been through other therapies (for example, traditional cognitive behavioral therapy). In recent years, schema therapy has also been adapted for use in forensic settings, complex trauma and PTSD, and with children and adolescents.
Schema therapy is an integrative psychotherapy[1] combining original theoretical concepts and techniques with those from pre-existing models, including cognitive behavioral therapy, attachment theory, Gestalt therapy, constructivism, and psychodynamic psychotherapy.[2]