Interactive therapeutic techniques are widely used in Schema Therapy with children, adolescents and adults in the form of mode cards, toys, puppets, transitional objects and many others. Therapeutic Board Games complement traditional Schema Therapy practices, vividly display different modes and assist in case conceptualization and mode work. During the workshop participants will have an opportunity to play and explore various specially designed board games that may be used to diversify and structure the process of Schema Therapy. Recommendations will be given on the specifics of using board games at different stages and for different purposes in therapy.

SUMMARY: 

Playing board games with children, adolescents and adults during the Schema Therapy sessions often allows to establish more close contact with the patient in a shorter period of time, helps to bypass the Maladaptive Coping Modes and get the access to the Vulnerable and Happy Child Modes. It makes limited reparenting process more playful and entertaining when needed. This gives schema therapist an opportunity to reach a deeper level of interaction in a quick and fascinating manner, and also may become an excellent solution in situations when the therapist feels “stuck”. 

The participants will get to know special techniques of mode work and try out creative ways of using board games for assessment purposes, psychoeducation, conceptualization and mode work. The concept of Scheme Modes, formulated in the form of game questions, becomes easier to understand, the therapist's ideas and suggestions expressed during the gameplay can often be heard and accepted more effortlessly and can encourage the patient to focus on healthier behavior while better meeting the needs in everyday life. Board games can be helpful in working with certain Modes or accompany the therapist throughout the whole Schema Therapy process.

Teaching methods: video and life demonstrations, exercise in board gameplay, discussions and case presentations. 

Certification credit: This workshop provides 6 credit hours in the Individual ST curriculum of Certification offered by the Schema Therapy Institute St. Petersburg. It can also be used for 6 hours of the Continuing Education Requirement for all Certified Schema Therapists.

About the Presenter:

Paul Kasyanik and Elena Romanova have been treating patients, training professionals and supervising psychotherapists for more than 28 years, also employing a wide range of experiential interventions from sensorimotor therapy to fairy-tales and life rescripting with a strong grounding in developmental psychology and consistency with the Schema Therapy model. Both Drs. Kasyanik and Romanova are Advanced Schema Therapists and Supervisor-Trainers in Individual, Group, and Child-Adolescent Schema therapy and direct the ST Institute of St Petersburg.  They have presented advanced ST training at EABCT, ISST Conferences and Summer Schools as well as in training programs in 10 countries.  

Maria Galimzyanova is Advanced Schema Therapist and Trainer Supervisor in Individual, Group, and Child-Adolescent Schema therapy. Being an expert and an author in the area of Child-Adolescent ST, she has developed the Group model for Children and Adolescents, consistent with the GST concept by J.Farrell and I.Shaw and C-A ST approach by C.Loose. As a professor of St.Petersburg University she lectures on schema therapy both nationally and internationally to students and professionals. Her extensive private practice is primarily focused on treating children and their parents.

These three schema therapists have integrated their work and developed innovative and effective interventions for children, adolescents and adults.