Schema Therapy Institute is committed to the scientist -practitioner model and is currently undergoing collaborative investigations into the effectiveness of Group Schema Therapy for Borderline Personality Disorder with International partners Professor Joan Farrell & Ms Ida Shaw. Results, of a recent collaboration on the effectiveness of a 4 week intensive Group Schema Therapy inpatient program for individuals who present with Complex Trauma was presented in Vienna, Austria at the International Society for Schema Therapy Conference, 2016. The outcomes of this study were also presented at the World Congress For Cognitive Behavioural Therapies, in Melbourne, Australia. This paper has recently been accepted for publication. Dr Younan is also a member of the Publication Committee for the International Society for Schema Therapy.
There are a number of additional research proposals underway and awaiting ethics approval.
Research Team @ Schema Therapy Institute Australia
Dr Rita Younan: Director
Dr Tamara May: Research Associate
Dr Pam Pilkington: Research Associate
Professor Joan Farrell: Research Partner Schema Therapy Institute Midwest-Indianapolis.
To enquire about joint research collaborations with Schema Therapy Institute please contact us.
Recent Publications
- Younan, R., Farrell, J., & May, T. (Accepted July 2017). Teaching me to parent myself: the feasibility of an inpatient group schema therapy program for complex trauma. Behavioural & Cognitive Psychotherapy.
Research in Progress
- Exploring the effectiveness of group schema therapy for persistent depression: A feasibility trial conducted in a naturalistic setting
Investigators: Dr Tamara May & Dr Rita Younan
- Pilot Study of a Schema Therapy Based Therapist Self-Practice and Self-Reflection (SP/SR) Intervention
Investigators: Robert Brockman, Joan Farrell, Ida Shaw, James Bennett-Levy, Rita Younan, Tara Hickey
Recently, advances in a ST approach to SP/SR have been made via a recently published therapist manual/workbook (Farrell & Shaw, 2018, ST from the Inside Out). The workbook can be described as an extension of ST principles and techniques aimed at the therapist, with the goal of assisting therapists identify, become aware of, and self-intervene with any EMS they as therapists may bring to therapy, further building up healthy schemas and the HAM of the therapist. The workbook content can also be delivered via experiential workshops, which have been shown in the context of general schema therapy training to increase therapist efficacy (Bamelis, 2014). This study is an empirical evaluation exists of the experiential workshop program and associated experiential strategies.
- Childhood Experiences and Parenting Factors associated with Early Maladaptive Schemas in Adolescence and Adulthood: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Investigators: Dr Pam Pilkington, Ms Amy Bishop, Dr Rita Younan
This systematic review and meta-analysis is being led by Dr Pam Pilkington in collaboration with Amy Bishop and Dr Rita Younan. It will synthesise the evidence base on the relationship between childhood experiences and early maladaptive schemas in adolescence and adulthood.
- Early Maladaptive Schemas and Depression in Adulthood: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Investigators: Dr Pam Pilkington, Ms Amy Bishop, Dr Rita Younan
This systematic review and meta-analysis is being led by Amy Bishop under the supervision of Dr Pam Pilkington and in collaboration with Dr Rita Younan. The purpose of this review is to examine the current research investigating the relationship between the five early maladaptive schemas which fall under the Disconnection/Rejection domain (mistrust abuse, social isolation, abandonment, defectiveness and emotional deprivation) and depression in adults.