Schema Therapy Institute Australia

18/02/2026

Increased distress or emotional pain can be a sign of progress in therapy. This is due to 'emotional thawing'.

We compare emotional thawing to frostbite. When we have frostbite, a body part has usually been overexposed to cold. Consequently, we lose all sensation and become numb in that part of the body. As we come out of the cold, we become aware that the body part is numb and as the numbness fades we begin to feel pain. We understand that the pain is a sign of the body healing.

This is also true for emotional pain. If we have grown up in an environment where our emotions or needs have been invalidated, we often develop a loss of physical and emotional awareness. In Schema Therapy we call this the ‘detached protector’ mode and it creates emotional numbness. Through therapy, as we reconnect with our emotions and needs, we first become aware of the numbness and then begin to feel the emotions and pain beneath the numbness.

Understanding and normalising this painful process can help us to tolerate or accept it. It is still important to have skills or tools to manage these difficult emotions as we begin to reconnect with them.

16/02/2026

Advance Your Schema Therapy Practice: Level Two Attachment-Informed Training

We’re excited to introduce our brand-new Level Two: An Attachment-Informed Approach to Schema Therapy — an advanced, in-person training taking place in Melbourne on May 14–15.

Designed for therapists who have completed Level One, this course supports clinicians to move beyond foundational knowledge and apply an attachment-informed lens to of schema therapy interventions, including limited reparenting, cognitive and experiential techniques, and behavioural pattern breaking.

Please note: Level Two is only open to therapists who have completed Level One.
If you haven’t yet completed Level One, this foundational training is available online, self-paced, with lifetime access.

If you’re ready to refine your attachment-informed schema therapy practice, we’d love to have you join us.

👉 Find out more and book:
Level Two: An Attachment-Informed Approach to Schema Therapy
https://bookwhen.com/schedule-individual-st/e/ev-s4j3-20260514090000

Level One: An Attachment-Informed Approach to Schema Therapy
https://relationshipscienceonline.com/attachment-st-course-2026/

This workshop builds on the foundational knowledge and skills developed in the Level 1 Course, Schema Therapy for Relationship Difficulties – An Attachment-Informed Approach. Delivered over two in-person days, the workshop combines didactic teaching with experiential dyadic learning activities. It...

09/02/2026

✨ Our first workshop of the year is fast approaching! ✨

We’re excited to be kicking off 2026 with Schema Therapy for Chronic Mood & Anxiety Disorders – Certification Workshop 1, starting online on 5 March.

This workshop is part of the Individual Schema Therapy Certification pathway and is designed to support clinicians to build confidence and skills in working with chronic mood and anxiety disorders, with a strong focus on practical application and dyadic practice.

A great way to start the year grounded in evidence-based, compassionate work. We’d love to see you there!

https://bookwhen.com/schedule-individual-st/e/ev-s09q-20260305100000

09/02/2026

Mode Spotlight: Punitive Critic Mode

In Schema Therapy, modes are the moment-to-moment emotional states and coping responses we experience. Today, we’re focusing on the Punitive Critic mode (also known as the punitive parent mode).

This mode sounds like an internal punisher. It tells us we deserve criticism, shame, or punishment. The narrative of the punitive critic is often an internalised message we heard as a child. It often develops in environments where mistakes were met with harsh consequences, or we experienced rejection or humiliation. When activated, this mode uses language that is attacking, shaming, and unforgiving. It can make even small errors feel like proof that we are “bad,” unworthy, and fundamentally flawed.

Living under the Punitive Critic can be exhausting and painful. It often fuels chronic shame, anxiety, depression, or self-sabotaging behaviours. Unlike the Demanding Critic, this mode rarely motivates growth — instead, it keeps us stuck in fear and self-blame.

The Healthy Adult mode plays an important role here. It recognises that punishment does not lead to healing or growth. Instead, we learn to respond to ourselves with accountability without cruelty, offering ourselves understanding and self-compassion. Learning to soften the Punitive Critic is a powerful step towards building self-acceptance.

05/02/2026

We're very excited that our Werribee location is now open and accepting new referrals ✨

If you are interested in scheduling an appointment please contact our intake team at intake@stia.com.au or visit our website.

📍62 Duncans Road, Werribee

30/01/2026

Despite how common substance use is, many people still experience shame, stigma, or self-blame. Understanding addiction as a complex psychological and emotional process helps create space for compassion, recovery, and hope. Read this month's blog post to learn more about addiction and pathways to recovery ✨

Check out this month’s blog post below 🔗

https://www.stia.com.au/blog/untangling-addiction

20/01/2026

Have you ever noticed how we react when it starts raining? 🌧️

We might think:
💭 This shouldn’t be happening.
💭 Why now?
💭 I can’t deal with this.

In many ways, this is how we respond to life’s difficult moments too.

As humans, we often resist pain and hardship. There’s a part of us that fears that accepting reality means agreeing with it as though acceptance says, “This is okay.” So we fight what’s happening, wish it away, or try to escape it.

But resisting reality doesn’t stop the rain. It just leaves us tense, often stressed, and exhausted. Resisting reality increases our distress and adds to our pain.

✨ This is where radical acceptance comes in. ✨

Radical acceptance is a core skill in Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT). It is about acknowledging reality as it is, without judgment or resistance. It’s like noticing: It’s raining right now. No arguing. No “shoulds.” Just the facts.

This doesn’t mean we like or approve of the rain, or stop looking for shelter. It means we stop adding extra suffering by fighting what already is.

🌱 Why radical acceptance helps:
• Reduces emotional suffering
• Processing emotions in more helpful ways
• Moving forward
• Increases acceptance of others
• Helps us respond, rather than react

🧘‍♀️ Practising radical acceptance can look like:
• Pausing and taking a breath
• Naming what’s happening inside and outside of you, sticking to the facts
• Letting go of the need to control outcomes and thoughts like “this shouldn’t be happening”
• Offering yourself compassion in the moment
• Remember the impermanence of emotions and situations: 'this too shall pass'

Interested in learning more?

👉 See our website for information about our upcoming DBT group therapy programs where you can build radical acceptance and other DBT skills.

15/01/2026

Mode Spotlight: Demanding Critic Mode

In Schema Therapy, modes are the moment-to-moment emotional states and coping responses we experience. Today, we’re focusing on the Vulnerable Child mode.

This mode holds our deepest emotional pain. It carries memories of times we felt scared, sad, lonely, ashamed, or unsafe. It is a key part of schema therapy and is linked to unmet core emotional needs such as safety, secure attachment, and acceptance. When we are in this mode, we may feel small or overwhelmed, and experience intense emotions and sensations in the body. Because this emotional pain can be difficult to tolerate, we may try to cope by avoiding or pushing our emotions down.

It is important we don't see our vulnerable child mode as a weakness. It reflects real experiences and needs that were not adequately met for us when we were younger. The healthy adult mode plays a crucial role here. It helps us gently connect with the vulnerable child mode, providing safety and comfort. Overtime we can learn to tolerate the pain the vulnerable child holds without becoming overwhelmed. We can soothe our vulnerable child mode by validating our emotions, engaging in positive self-talk, and engaging in activities that are soothing or grounding. By building self-compassion, grounding, and nurturing practices, our Vulnerable Child can begin to feel protected and soothed, allowing old wounds to heal over time.

Interested in learning more about this mode? Check out our 7-minute schema video below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNqOHHT5KMU&t=4s

08/01/2026

Imagery Rescripting is a Schema Therapy technique with growing evidence for treating anxiety and excessive worry. This post explores how rescripting distressing memories and future-oriented worry images can reduce symptoms and shift unhelpful beliefs. 🧠✨

Check out this month’s blog post below 🔗

https://www.stia.com.au/blog/what-is-imagery-rescripting

17/12/2025

A new chapter for STIA 🌱

As we prepare for the opening of our clinic in Werribee in 2026, we are now accepting referrals! We’re looking forward to supporting the local community with evidence-based, compassionate care.

04/12/2025

Some photos from the Advanced Techniques workshop last week with Rita and Ruth. Thank you to everyone who showed up for contributing to a productive and insightful training day.

✨More to come in 2026!✨

20/11/2025

Mode Spotlight: Demanding Critic Mode

In Schema Therapy, modes are the moment-to-moment emotional states and coping responses we experience. Today, we’re focusing on the Demanding Critic mode.

This mode sounds like an internal taskmaster. It tells us we should be doing more, working harder, performing better, or meeting impossibly high standards. It often develops when we grow up feeling that approval, love, or safety depended on achievement or being “perfect.” When activated, this mode sounds like an inner voice of relentless criticism. It can make rest feel “unearned,” mistakes feel catastrophic, and accomplishments feel fleeting or easily dismissible.

Importantly, the Demanding Critic isn’t all bad. It can sometimes help us stay focused, responsible, or committed to our goals. But when the all-or-nothing thinking, or perfectionistic rules take over, it moves from helpful structure into harsh self-pressure that leaves us stressed, feeling guilty, or burnt out. This is when we need our healthy adult mode to step in.

The Healthy Adult mode recognises when expectations are unrealistic and invites balance, compassion, and flexibility. We need to identify what realistic expectations look like and remind ourselves that our worth isn’t measured by productivity or perfection. Finally, we need to understand that rest and self-acceptance are essential and not optional.