Biography:
Maryam Davari was born and raised in Iran and moved to Sweden in 1992. I am a specialist psychiatric nurse and have worked in Stockholm’s only emergency ward for eight years. I then worked in a psychiatric clinic for four years and was the department manager for two years. I am fully trained in both CBT and psychodynamic therapy, and am currently working as a Schema therapist in a general psychiatric outpatient clinic as well as in my own clinic.
Abstract:
Presented here is an overview of Schema therapy and its application to a specific case history. Jeffrey Young’s Schema therapy is an innovative and integrated therapeutic model based on traditional Cognitve-Behaviour Therapy (CBT) methods. Schema therapy is influenced by, among other methodoligies, Gestalt therapy, Objcect-relation theory, cognitive therapy, behaviour therapy, Affect theory, Attachment theory and psychodynamic psychotherapy. The case history of Patient X exemplifies the fundamentals of Schema therapy. Patient X was a middle-aged single woman referred to my clinic for psychiatric help. Raised in a harsh home environment, she was systematically exposed to a mental trauma, rejection and punishment throughout her childhood. She had to meet the mother’s expectations without fail or would suffer dreadful feelings of worthlessness and loneliness. We ultimately reached a diagnosis of her four strongest Schema: emotional deprivation, abandonment/instability, social isolation and defectiveness/shame. As treatment, we undertook several sessions where we tried cognitive intervention, experienced-based visualisation, relation intervention, and behaviour-focused intervention. Upon completion of therapy, patient X reported not only that therapy had been like a ”crutch” after having
broken a leg, but that it had triggered new ways for thinking that greatly reduced anxiety