Schema therapy

What is Schema Therapy?

Schema therapy is an integrative form of therapy that combines elements of cognitive-behavioral, attachment, and experiential therapies to address deeply ingrained patterns of thinking and behavior, known as 'schemas.' These schemas often develop in childhood and continue to influence emotional health and relationships in adulthood.

How Does Schema Therapy Work?

The therapy focuses on identifying and changing maladaptive schemas, or deep-rooted beliefs about oneself and the world. By addressing these patterns, you can break free from harmful behaviors and develop healthier ways of relating to others and yourself.

Benefits of Schema Therapy

  • Identifies and addresses root causes of emotional issues
  • Promotes long-lasting behavioral change
  • Improves emotional regulation
  • Helps develop healthier relationships

Schema therapy offers a structured approach to addressing long-standing emotional difficulties.

Is Schema Therapy Right for You?

If you find yourself stuck in repetitive, negative patterns of thinking or behavior, schema therapy can help you uncover the root causes and make lasting changes. Our trained therapists are here to support you in this transformative process.

Therapists in Brighton & Hove

Browse our verified therapists — many work across a range of approaches and may be able to help.

Alan Sparkes Hove

Alan Sparkes

Psychotherapist & Counsellor

An integrative psychotherapist with 20 years’ experience, working with shame and relational trauma, and with people who’ve had therapy before but found it didn’t reach the root of things.I often work with men who've spent years holding it together, and with women living with the effects of early or relational trauma. What brings people is usually anxiety or depression, but underneath there's something that has been there a long time: a harsh inner voice, a sense of never being quite good enough, relationship patterns that keep repeating, or simply not knowing why you feel the way you do.I don't do psychic amputation. You can't cut off the parts of yourself you don't like, or that cause you pain, without running into more problems. Therapy can help those parts be understood and integrated, so you can live more fully.I'm not a therapist who just nods and asks how that makes you feel. I'll tell you what I notice, and when it helps, I'll gently challenge you, always with care. I also work with couples, helping each partner understand what keeps happening between them.I am a UKCP-registered psychotherapist. I built and ran a multi-room therapy practice in Hove, lead peer groups for practitioners, founded Brighton Counselling Directory, and also counsel with the Terrence Higgins Trust in Brighton. Qualified therapists are welcome as clients.

BACPRegisteredUKCPAccredited

Gabrielle Lake Mitchell Brighton

Gabrielle Lake Mitchell

Integrative Counsellor

Thinking about starting counselling and looking for a counsellor, can feel daunting. So I warmly welcome you to my profile and hope that you get in touch to see if I am the right counsellor for you. There are many reasons why people seek counselling. Perhaps you are feeling lonely or disconnected from the people around you? Perhaps you would like to talk to someone about making changes in your life? Maybe you are feeling stuck, anxious or depressed, and would like a little extra support to help you through a difficult time? Perhaps you can't quite put your finger on what is wrong, and would like somewhere to express yourself and make sense of your thoughts and feelings?Whatever brings you to counselling, I will endeavour to offer you a confidential and safe space, where you can talk and explore all of your thoughts and feelings, and express them freely without judgement or opinion. Counselling can be useful in helping you to gain insight and a fresh perspective. It can help you to gain understanding about yourself and others, or help to make sense of a problematic situation. It can help you move towards acceptance, emotional freedom and healthy psychological growth.

BACPRegistered

Alison Sutcliffe Brighton

Alison Sutcliffe

Psychotherapist & EMDR Therapist

I work with high-functioning adults in Brighton who might look like they're coping on the outside but feel overwhelmed, disconnected or stuck underneath. Does this sound like you? I am an accredited, experienced psychotherapist (15 years) & my role is to help you make sense of what is happening &, through the process of our work together, free you up to live your life more fully.I am specialised in working with how our early years, as well as subsequent experiences, impact how we show up in the present: anxious/ depressed/ traumatised/ frustrated/ lost.I offer Individual Counselling, Psychotherapy, Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing (EMDR) (as well as Clinical Supervision to my colleagues).We can work online as well as 30 Grand Parade, Brighton, BN2 9QA.

BACPAccredited

Robyn Lang Brighton

Robyn Lang

Person Centred Counsellor

My approach is humanistic and person-centred. I offer a warm, confidential and non-judgemental space where you can slow down, feel heard and explore your experiences at your own pace. I believe that developing a greater understanding of ourselves can help us make sense of our emotions, relationships, patterns and the stories we carry with us.In addition to working privately I have also worked with Wellbeing in the Arts since 2023, offering low-cost counselling to creatives working in film, theatre and TV. I am a BACP Registered Counsellor with over nine years' experience and work in accordance with the BACP Ethical Framework. I bring a trauma-informed and inclusive approach to my practice.I offer in-person counselling in central Brighton, Hove, and online counselling across the UK. Couples counselling is also available in person in Brighton and Hove. If you would like to explore whether counselling might be right for you, please do get in touch.

BACPRegistered

Joana Miranda Brighton

Joana Miranda

Psychotherapeutic Counsellor

I am a qualified counsellor offering online and face to face sessions in Brighton (Kemptown), with an interest in supporting women in their 20s, 30s and 40s. My personal experiences of stress and anxiety have given me an understanding of how incapacitating it can be when life feels overwhelming, your mind won't shut up, and you find yourself putting pressure on yourself to stay afloat. Alongside my professional training, these experiences have shaped my warm and non-judgemental approach to counselling. I believe that having a space where you can be truly heard, without judgement or expectations, can make a difference. Whether you are struggling with anxiety or stress, feeling indecisive, lacking self confidence, navigating relationships or simply feeling that something fundamental needs to change, counselling can give you an opportunity to press pause and come home to yourself. I have a particular interest in mindfulness and meditation, and in how these practices can support greater awareness, calm and connection in everyday life. These interests naturally form part of my approach, alongside my counselling training and experience.

NCPSAccredited

Stephanie Fortescue Brighton

Stephanie Fortescue

Psychotherapist & Counsellor

I offer both short-term and open-ended therapy, online or face-to-face. We can talk about what might suit you best during an initial consultation.My approach is relational, trauma-informed and neurodiversity-affirming. I work particularly with adults who are autistic, ADHD or AuDHD, including people who have been diagnosed or identified as neurodivergent later in life. I also work with anxiety, depression, relationship and attachment difficulties, low self-esteem, emotional overwhelm and the impact of difficult or traumatic experiences.I originally trained psychodynamically, so I am interested in how our earlier experiences and relationships can shape the way we understand ourselves, relate to other people and respond to situations in the present. However, my way of working has developed considerably over the years and now draws on a wider understanding of trauma, attachment, neurodivergence, emotional regulation and the nervous system.This means we might explore patterns in your relationships, experiences from childhood, difficult emotions or beliefs you hold about yourself. But we might equally think together about sensory overwhelm, executive functioning, masking, burnout, rejection sensitivity, emotional regulation or why everyday demands can sometimes feel disproportionately difficult.I don't believe that every difficulty needs to be traced back to childhood or that distress should automatically be viewed as something within the individual that needs to be “fixed”. Sometimes understanding your brain, nervous system and environment — and recognising where you have spent years trying to function in ways that don't suit you — can be just as important.

BACPRegistered


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