SCHEDULE DETAILS Event Schedules
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8.00 AM - 9.00 AM KEYNOTE
Wendy Behary, LCSWKEYNOTE: 35 YEARS OF THE SCHEMA THERAPY MODEL OF JEFFREY YOUNG
Sustaining the Integrity of the Core Model
How do we protect what makes Schema Therapy work while continuing to evolve? Developed by Dr. Jeffrey Young, Schema Therapy blends cognitive, attachment, experiential, and psychodynamic traditions into one of the most effective models for clients long considered untreatable. As it spreads across cultures and settings, the challenge is to keep its core alive while adapting to new needs.
This session explores the essence of what gives Schema Therapy its power—transforming schemas, healing unmet needs, and using the therapeutic relationship as a force for deep emotional repair. Join us as we honor Dr. Young’s legacy and examine how true innovation begins by staying rooted in the principles that heal.
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9.00 AM - 10.00 AM KEYNOTE
KEYNOTE: THE EVIDENCE-BASED MODEL OF SCHEMA THERAPY BY JEFFREY YOUNG COMPARED WITH EMERGING MODELS
What makes Schema Therapy so effective with clients other treatments can’t reach? In this powerful session, Dr. Joan Farrell and Dr. Paul Kasyanik—renowned researchers, trainers, and international leaders—reveal the evidence that sets Schema Therapy apart. They’ll unpack the landmark trials that proved its effectiveness across complex disorders and examine what happens when new adaptations stray from that research base.
Discover what the data actually show about how real change happens and why the simplicity of Dr. Young’s original model remains its greatest strength. Walk away with renewed confidence in using a therapy that doesn’t just promise transformation but delivers it, session after session.
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10.00 AM - 10.15 AM
Coffee/Tea Break
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10.15 AM - 11.15 AM KEYNOTE
KEYNOTE: SCHEMA THERAPY: THE STATUS OF RESEARCH ON THE MODEL
What does the science really say about Schema Therapy today—and where is it headed next? In this keynote, Dr. Rita Younan and Professor Gery Karantzas, two of the field’s leading researchers, present a powerful overview of the latest global findings. Drawing on a bibliometric analysis of more than 300 studies and a recent Delphi consensus project, they’ll reveal where the evidence is strongest and where important gaps remain.
Attendees will gain an insider’s view of how Schema Therapy’s scientific foundation is evolving, including new insights into core needs, schema domains, and mechanisms of change. This keynote invites you to see the future of Schema Therapy through the lens of data, discovery, and innovation.
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8:00 AM - 9:00 AM
DELIBERATE PRACTICE A BREAKTHROUGH METHOD TO DEVELOPING SCHEMA THERAPY MASTERY
Deliberate Practice is redefining how therapists build mastery. Just as musicians and athletes refine their craft through targeted, repeated exercises, Schema Therapists can now apply the same science of skill acquisition to clinical training. This session, led by two of the field’s foremost master trainers, demonstrates how deliberate practice turns knowledge into embodied expertise.
Participants will see how Schema Therapy’s most essential micro-skills—empathic confrontation, limited reparenting, and experiential dialogue—can be broken down, practiced, and strengthened through structured feedback and repetition. Using role-play and real-time feedback, the presenters show how small, precise improvements lead to major gains in clinical effectiveness.
This interactive session offers a rare chance to observe deliberate practice in action and to understand how it bridges the gap between theory and transformative therapeutic performance.
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9.00 AM - 10.00 AM
EXPLORING EFFECTIVE GROUP THERAPIES FOR BPD: SCHEMA THERAPY MEETS DIALECTICAL BEHAVIOR THERAPY
Developed in the 1980s, both Group Schema Therapy (GST) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) have transformed the treatment of borderline personality disorder. Each has demonstrated strong results in randomized controlled trials, yet their methods, mechanisms of change, and group dynamics differ in meaningful ways.
This presentation provides a clear, research-informed comparison of both models, highlighting when each approach is best suited to a client’s needs. Attendees will gain a practical understanding of the key interventions, emotional regulation strategies, and therapeutic processes unique to each model.
Drawing from decades of clinical experience, Dr. Farrell and Ms. Kim will explore how therapist stance, structure, and theory shape outcomes in BPD treatment. Through case examples and discussion, participants will leave with sharper insight into how both therapies foster emotional regulation, schema change, and long-term recovery.
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10.00 AM - 10.15 AM
Coffee/Tea Break
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10.15 AM - 11.15 AM
NAVIGATING THE CHALLENGES OF MODE CLASHES IN PARENT-TEEN CONFLICTS
Few dynamics are as emotionally charged as conflicts between parents and adolescents. Schema Therapy offers a powerful framework for understanding these struggles through the concept of mode clashes—moments when both parent and child respond from maladaptive modes, locking into patterns that escalate tension and block connection.
This presentation explores how schemas and unmet needs drive these recurring battles and demonstrates how identifying mode clashes can help families move from blame to understanding. Attendees will learn practical interventions to help parents and adolescents recognize their own modes, de-escalate reactivity, and uncover the underlying needs behind each person’s behavior.
Through vivid examples and live demonstration, Ida Shaw and Maria Galimzyanova will show how Schema Therapy helps families shift from control and defiance to empathy and collaboration. Participants will leave with actionable strategies to transform conflict into repair and connection.