Psychological Therapy
Schema Therapy
Have you ever understood why you do something, but found yourself doing it anyway?
Maybe you know you don’t need everyone’s approval, but rejection still feels unbearable. You know you shouldn’t be so hard on yourself, but the critical voice is still there. Or you keep finding yourself in similar relationships, shutting down when things become difficult, putting everyone else first, or feeling emotions much more intensely than you would like.
Schema Therapy is particularly interested in these kinds of patterns.
Schemas are deeply held patterns or beliefs that develop our childhood as a way to make sense of ourselves, other people and relationships. They are often shaped by our early experiences and whether important emotional needs were met. Even when the circumstances that created them are long gone, these patterns can continue influencing how we interpret and respond to situations today.
Schema Therapy also looks at modes — the different emotional and behavioural states or parts of ourselves that can take over at different times.
For example, one part of you might feel frightened, hurt or abandoned. Another might become highly self-critical. Another might cope by shutting down, avoiding feelings, pleasing other people or pushing them away.
Rather than seeing these reactions as random or as something “wrong” with you, we become curious about what is happening, where the pattern came from, what it is trying to do for you and whether it is still helping you now.
And importantly, Schema Therapy goes beyond simply understanding your patterns.
We may use conversations and reflection, but also imagery, chair work, behavioural strategies and the therapeutic relationship itself to help you experience and respond to things differently.
Over time, the aim is to reduce the influence of patterns that are no longer serving you, better understand and respond to your emotional needs, and strengthen what Schema Therapy calls your Healthy Adult mode — the part of you that can care for yourself, set boundaries, manage emotions, maintain healthy relationships and make choices based on what you actually need and value.
You don't need to know your schemas or modes before coming to therapy. Working that out together is part of the process.
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing)
EMDR is a psychological therapy commonly used to help people process traumatic or distressing experiences.
Sometimes an experience may be over, but our brain and body continue to respond as though parts of it are still happening. A memory might still bring up intense emotion, physical sensations or beliefs about ourselves, or we might find ourselves reacting strongly to situations in the present without fully understanding why.
EMDR aims to help the brain process these experiences so that they become less distressing and have less influence over the present.
During EMDR, we identify memories, experiences or themes connected to what you are currently struggling with. While bringing aspects of these experiences to mind, you are guided through bilateral stimulation, most commonly moving your eyes from side to side. This forms part of a structured therapeutic process designed to support the brain in processing the memory.
EMDR does not erase memories or make you forget what happened. The aim is for you to be able to remember an experience without it carrying the same emotional intensity or continuing to shape the way you see yourself and respond today.
You also do not necessarily need to describe every detail of a traumatic experience for EMDR to be effective.
Traditional EMDR
EMDR can be incorporated into regular therapy, usually within standard or extended appointments. We may spend time understanding what you are experiencing, preparing for EMDR and developing appropriate strategies before beginning memory processing.
Processing can then occur progressively across a number of appointments as part of your broader therapy.
EMDR Intensives
I also offer EMDR Intensives, which provide EMDR therapy in a longer, more concentrated format.
In traditional weekly therapy, we need time at the beginning and end of each appointment to check in, prepare and finish safely. Sometimes this means having to pause processing because the session is ending.
An EMDR Intensive gives us a larger block of uninterrupted therapeutic time to focus on a particular experience, theme or treatment goal. This can allow us to spend more time preparing, processing and integrating the work without being as restricted by the traditional 50-minute therapy hour.
Intensives may suit people who want to undertake a focused piece of trauma work or who prefer a more concentrated approach to therapy.
An intensive is not necessarily better or faster than traditional EMDR, and it will not be appropriate for everyone. Before proceeding, we will consider what you would like to work on, your history, current circumstances and whether an intensive format is clinically appropriate for you
How therapy is conducted
Therapy Approaches
My primary therapeutic approach is Schema Therapy and EMDR. Schema Therapy is particularly useful when difficulties feel longstanding, keep repeating across different parts of life, or have not shifted through insight alone. It brings together cognitive, behavioural, attachment and experiential approaches to help us understand both where patterns came from and how to change them. I also integrate DBT and CBT depending on your presentation and goals.
EMDR may be used to process traumatic or distressing experiences; DBT strategies can support emotion regulation, distress tolerance and interpersonal effectiveness; and CBT can be useful for identifying and changing specific thinking and behavioural patterns.
Therapy is available in person and via telehealth where clinically appropriate. Standard sessions are 50 minutes. Initial appointments are generally 90 minutes so there is enough time to understand what has brought you to therapy, your history, what you would like to change and what treatment might look like.
Therapy in Use
How Therapy Can Help
Therapy can help you make sense of patterns that currently feel automatic: why certain situations affect you so strongly, why you respond in ways you later regret, why the same relationship dynamics keep repeating, or why knowing something logically does not always change how it feels.
The goal is not to remove every difficult emotion. It is to help you respond to yourself, other people and difficult situations in ways that are healthier, more flexible and more aligned with the life you want.
Results
What to Expect
Your first appointment is a chance for us to get a fuller picture of what is happening for you. We will talk about what has brought you to therapy, relevant history, current difficulties, what you have tried before and what you would like to be different.
From there, we will develop a shared understanding of the patterns contributing to your difficulties and discuss a treatment plan. Sessions may involve talking and reflection, but therapy can also be active. Depending on your needs, we may use imagery, chair work, EMDR processing, behavioural experiments, skills practice or between-session exercises.
You will never be expected to do an intervention without understanding why we are doing it. Consent is ongoing, and you are encouraged to ask questions or raise concerns at any point.
What I can help with
Childhood and adult trauma, including PTSD, complex trauma & birth trauma
Personality difficulties and personality disorders, particularly Borderline Personality Disorder
Emotional dysregulation and intense or rapidly changing emotions
Longstanding patterns in relationships
Chronic or recurring depression and anxiety
Low self-worth, shame and harsh self-criticism
Attachment and interpersonal difficulties
Addiction and unhelpful coping patterns
Feeling stuck despite having a good intellectual understanding of why you feel or behave the way you do
When I may not be the right fit
I generally do not provide treatment where an eating disorder, psychotic disorder, or neurodevelopmental condition such as ADHD or Autism is the primary focus of treatment. This does not necessarily mean I cannot work with you if you have one of these diagnoses — particularly where the reason you are seeking therapy falls within my areas of expertise. We can discuss this when considering whether I am the right fit for your needs.
I also do not provide cognitive, ADHD or Autism assessments, or medico-legal assessments and reports.
If what you are looking for falls outside my scope of practice, I will let you know and, where possible, suggest the type of clinician or service that may be better suited to what you need.
THE CHOICE
Is Therapy Right for me?
You do not need to arrive with a diagnosis, know exactly what is wrong, or know which therapy approach you need. It may be enough to know that something is not working the way you want it to.
My approach may be particularly suited to you if your difficulties feel longstanding, you notice the same patterns repeating, you have experienced trauma, or you have gained insight in previous therapy but still find that things do not feel different.
The initial appointment is also an opportunity to decide whether we are a good therapeutic fit. If I do not think I am the right clinician or service for what you need, I will discuss that with you.
Get in touch
Finding the right psychologist matters. If you think my approach might suit what you are looking for, you're welcome to get in touch. I offer free 15-minute discovery calls where you can tell me a little about what you would like help with and we can work out whether Psychology Laine is the right fit.