Audience:

A. Individual Schema Therapists for Adults, who work with clients suffering from upbringing issues with their own children; and

B. Schema Therapists for Children, Adolescents and Parents (Families)

How can we use the Schema Therapy model to work effectively with our young clients’ parents? One of the answers is Schema-Coaching for Parents (SCP). When we talk about SCP we mean a special form of psycho-education and parent work, often in addition to the child-focused therapy. In parent coaching we talk and act not just regarding the child, but the PARENT’S core emotional needs, adaptive and maladaptive schemas, as well as functional and dysfunctional modes. Parents certainly need to understand their children’s behavior and the needs behind their symptoms, but the SCP framework suggests that in addition, parents need to learn about their own needs, schemas, and modes. If we don’t support parents with these deeper insights, we might help the children to understand and express their core needs and deal with their modes and schema dispositions, but we won’t break the likely schema collusions between parent and child.

In the workshop we follow the “Concept of Limited Grandparenting” (Re-Parent the Parent), and for that approach we first need to build up a particular positive and open relationship to the parents. Further steps will be the work on resources and strengths of the parents, followed by the need model, and explanation how schemas and modes can be understood. Suggestions for interventions will be provided.

Beside the basic steps within SCP, the workshop offers many practical demonstrations through picture and video material or life demonstrations, and small exercises allow the participants to transfer the content into their own practice.

About the Presenter:

Christof Loose 

Christof Loose, PhD, is affiliated with Heinrich Heine University at the Institute of Experimental Psychology in the Department of Clinical Psychology, and has a private practice in Dusseldorf, Germany. He is an Advanced Certified Schema Therapist, Supervisor and Trainer in Individual and Children and Adolescents Schema Therapy. Christof was the chair of the Workgroup for Schema Therapy for Children and Adolescents (ST-CA) for several years, and is the editor and author of several ST-CA books and videos (DVDs) in Germany. He conducts workshops and seminars in ST-CA worldwide.