speaker-photo

Pierre Cousineau, PhD

Pierre Cousineau, Ph. D., is a psychologist, psychotherapist, supervisor, and trainer who has been transforming lives through clinical practice in Montréal, Canada, for five decades. His journey with schema therapy began in 1992 when he discovered Jeffrey Young’s groundbreaking work—a pivotal moment that reshaped his entire approach to psychotherapy. As an Advanced level Certified Schema Therapist and Certified Individual Schema Trainer/Supervisor with the International Society for Schema Therapy, Pierre brings a uniquely integrative vision to his work. He is also an Associate Instructor at the Coherence Psychology Institute, where he specializes in memory reconsolidation—a cutting-edge approach that doesn’t just help clients cope with schemas, but actually transforms them at their neurological roots . Pierre’s international training reach spans Canada, France, Morocco, Norway, and Switzerland, where he shares his expertise in combining schema therapy with memory reconsolidation techniques. His scholarly contributions include chapters in The Wiley-Blackwell Handbook of Schema Therapy and co-authored books with Sophie Côté that bridge neuroscience, psychology, and psychotherapy: Pratiquer la thérapie des schémas (2023, Dunod) and the forthcoming Schema Therapy for Memory Reconsolidation and Transformational Change (2026, Routledge) . What distinguishes Pierre’s work is his lifelong commitment to integration. He weaves together cognitive-behavioral approaches, experiential methods, mindfulness, ACT strategies, and the latest neuroscience research on emotional memory to create lasting, transformational change for his clients. French Version: Pierre Cousineau, Ph.D., est psychologue, psychothérapeute, superviseur et formateur qui transforme des vies par sa pratique clinique à Montréal, au Canada, depuis cinq décennies . Son parcours avec la thérapie des schémas a débuté en 1992 lorsqu’il a découvert le travail révolutionnaire de Jeffrey Young—un moment charnière qui a transformé toute son approche de la psychothérapie . En tant que thérapeute des schémas certifié de niveau avancé et superviseur/formateur certifié auprès de la Société internationale de thérapie des schémas, Pierre apporte une vision intégrative unique à son travail . Il est également formateur associé au Coherence Psychology Institute, où il se spécialise dans la reconsolidation de la mémoire—une approche novatrice qui ne se contente pas d’aider les clients à composer avec leurs schémas, mais les transforme à leurs racines neurologiques .
5:15 PM - 6:15 PM

Thursday Dec 4th

TRANSFORMING SCHEMAS THROUGH THE THERAPEUTIC MEMORY RECONSOLIDATION PROCESS

Neuroscience has revealed that the brain constantly predicts what will happen next, shaping perception, emotion, and coping responses. Schemas are part of this predictive system, driving behaviors designed to avoid emotional pain. When those predictions are rooted in trauma, coping modes become rigid and maladaptive.

This presentation introduces the Therapeutic Reconsolidation Process (TRP), an approach that integrates recent findings in predictive processing and memory reconsolidation with Schema Therapy. TRP helps therapists guide clients to transform deeply ingrained schemas at their emotional core, replacing avoidance with flexibility and healing.

Drawing from his upcoming book Schema Therapy for Memory Reconsolidation and Transformational Change (Routledge, 2026), Philippe Cousineau will show how this emerging neuroscience framework can enhance schema change, deepen experiential work, and revolutionize the way we understand transformation in psychotherapy.