Schema Therapy Training & Consulting (STTaC) Workshops 2026

Schema Therapy Training & Consulting is based in Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand. All training is delivered by Estelle Macdonald, Clinical Psychologist and an advanced certified individual (adult) and child/adolescent schema therapist, trainer and supervisor. The programme of workshops for 2026 are delivered during New Zealand business hours, and are as follows:

3–5 March 2026, Child and Adolescent Schema Therapy: module 1

The workshop looks at the formation and perpetuating of maladaptive schemas against a background of age-specific developmental tasks, risk and protective temperamental factors. Relative to the children's age, early maladaptive schemas are outlined with their typical child and adolescent appearance and coping strategies. Other topics include multi-modal diagnostic techniques (use of exploration, survey, imagery and case conceptualisation) and exploring the significance of the therapeutic relationship, psychoeducational strategies and empathetic confrontation.

Therapeutic strategies are demonstrated including working with drawings and pictures, finger and hand puppets, working with stories, metaphors, chair work, imagery, play and the use of flash cards. We will consolidate the learning with video examples, live demonstrations and role-play in groups of two or three. It covers:

• Strength-based assessments and rapport building
• Creative assessment techniques, including the inner house exercise
• Limited reparenting techniques
• Timeline mode work

Conducting chair dialogues with modes

• Working with finger and hand puppets
• Fun imagery to strengthen the wise and caring mode

Venue: Wellington, NZ, or online

Time: 9am -6pm NZ time

10–12 March 2026, Individual (Adult) Schema Therapy: module 1

This three-day workshop will help attendees gain a good understanding of the Schema Therapy model and provide a platform for learning skills and techniques used in Schema Therapy. It will provide significant role-play and experiential practice and will also focus on borderline personality disorder and its treatment with schema therapy.

The workshop may be attended as a stand-alone training or as the first of three workshops in the Schema Therapy certification programme. It covers:

• Basic theory of Schema Therapy: schema and mode models
• Client schema assessment and education
• Change phase techniques, including the experiential strategies of imagery rescripting and chair work
• Limited re-parenting techniques
• Behavioural pattern breaking

Venue: Wellington, NZ, or online

Time: 9am – 5pm

24 July 2026, Combining Schema Therapy with EMDR

Schema Therapy and EMDR are powerful therapies which can be combined to create an even more effective way of working with clients who have complex histories. It covers:

• Brief overview of Schema Therapy
• Brief overview of EMDR, including attachment informed EMDR
• Introducing the two models to clients and the rationale for using both
• Resourcing
• Setting up target memories and linking to schemas
• Working with modes that arise during EMDR processing
• The use of imagery re-scripting during EMDR processing
• Practice sessions

Venue: Online

Time: 9am – 5pm NZ time

27 August 2026, Schema coaching for parents: module 2 of child and adolescent schema therapy training

Schema Coaching for Parents (SCP) is a form of psychoeducation and parent work, which is often used alongside Child and Adolescent Schema Therapy (CA-ST). It covers:

• The three perspectives in SCP: empathy, understanding and modification of one's own parenting
• Assessment and rapport building with parents
• Psychoeducation
• The House of Generations: a visual and playful way to show the transmission of maladaptive schemas from one generation to the next
• Integrating positive schemas to break unhealthy transgenerational schema patterns
• Experiential schema therapy work for parents
• Practice sessions

Venue: Online

Time: 9am – 5pm NZ time

14–15 October 2026, Combining ST with sand-tray work

Sand-tray work is an incredible medium to work with and gives one a fascinating insight into the unconscious world of the client. It works extremely well in Schema Therapy, for both adults and children. It covers:

• History of sand-tray work
• Which clients to use sand-tray work with
• Equipment
• Distancing techniques
• Creating a world to identify the needs of the vulnerable child
• Assessment world to identify schemas
• Mapping out the mode world
• Imagery work in the sand-tray
• Working with modes in the sand-tray
• Practice sessions

Venue Wellington, NZ, or online

Time: 9am – 5pm NZ time

10–13 November 2026, Individual (Adult) ST: modules 2 & 3

This four-day workshop expands and deepens knowledge gained in module 1 and looks at the application of core Schema Therapy theory and techniques with specific complex presentations. It covers:

• Recap of the Schema Therapy model
• In-depth look at using the Schema Therapy model with:
• • Cluster C personality disorders
  • Narcissistic personality disorder
  • Complex trauma
• Further practice of chair and imagery re-scripting work, as well as creative ways to use these techniques

Venue: Wellington, NZ, or online

Time: 9am – 5pm NZ time