Schema-Focused Cognitive Therapy: Advanced Conceptualisation and Treatment for Challenging Clients
Usually, beginning early in life, negative patterns of thought interfere with the person’s ability to reach goals. Schema-Focused Cognitive Therapy begins with an assessment of the patterns involved, followed by clients enhancing their emotional awareness of these patterns in daily life, and ultimately replacing negative thoughts with positive ones.
Schema related treatment approaches have been shown to be effective for a variety of difficult to treat conditions. However, the long-term nature of pure schema therapy is not a fit for all clients in all settings. Thus, many professionals find themselves scratching their heads for effective alternatives to more quickly meet the needs of a segment of their caseloads.
Most practitioners are familiar with standard CBT which offers a variety of tools and techniques helpful for managing symptoms. But few are versed in the deeper schema-level work that is necessary for truly treating the most challenging conditions seen in the clinical setting.
Schema modification treatments offer a refreshing hybrid between dynamic, insight-oriented approaches and evidence-based cognitive behavioural therapy, incorporating attachment theory, psychodynamic concepts, and emotion-focused techniques as well. Also, in comparison to traditional CBT, Schema-Focused Therapy emphasizes identifying and changing lifelong patterns, and utilises the therapeutic relationship in a powerful way to leverage deeper level change, making it particularly well suited for complex, resistant clients with entrenched, chronic psychological challenges.
Schema-based techniques have proven themselves capable of modifying underlying meaning at “the root” of client’s presenting problems without sacrificing practical “here and now” interventions.
Join Dr Jeff Riggenbach, the internationally known and three-time bestselling author, in this highly engaging online course, and learn new tools for treating your most challenging client symptoms sets including:
- Easily Triggered Out of Proportion Impulsive Responses
- Emotional Dysregulation
- Resistance to Change
- Self-Destructive Behaviours
- Poor Awareness/Insight
- Rule breaking and other antisocial behaviours
- Treatment resistant depression and more!
Watch this fascinating presentation full of cutting edge techniques you can implement the very next day, and see how you can upskill and help your most challenging clients at a deeper level, enabling them to not only get better in the short term but also to stay well in the long term.
Learning Objectives:
1. Understand the Relationship between SFCT and Standard SCT, DBT, ACT Schema Focused therapy, and the others!
2. Socialise clients to the model in a way that fosters engagement and decreases dropout rates
3. Gain an in-depth understanding of schemas and the role they play in driving challenging behaviour
4. Learn the 18 Maladaptive Schemas and ways to leverage them to promote recovery
5. Utilise behavioural pattern-breaking to long-standing cycles of destructive behaviour
6. Incorporate Schema Mode Work into your individual and group sessions
7. Augment standard CBT protocols with deeper level work to prevent relapse
CPD Information For Mental Health Professionals
Enjoy complete flexibility with 100% self-paced learning you can access anytime, anywhere, and on any device. Pay once for lifetime access.
Course Duration: 8 learning hours (7+ hours video content as well as downloadable PowerPoint slides PDF)
Certificate and CPD hours: On completion you’ll receive a Certificate of Completion to support your CPD records.
Assessment: Complete a short quiz at the end (80% pass mark), which you can resit as many times as needed.
Lifetime Access: Your access to the course does not expire, so you can revisit key concepts anytime you want a refresher for practice.
CPD Eligibility: This program may be suitable for CPD for professionals such as:
- Psychologists
- Counsellors and Psychotherapists
- Social Workers
- Community Workers
- Mental Health Nurses
- General Practitioners (GPs)
- Occupational Therapists
CPD requirements vary between professional bodies, so please check with your association or credentialing body to confirm you can claim CPD hours/OPD points for this program and what evidence they require.
Course Content
Meet Your Instructor
High-conflict personalities, treatment-resistant clients, and complex cases involving borderline personality disorder can leave clinicians feeling frustrated and ineffective - but these challenging presentations don't have to derail therapeutic progress. Jeff Riggenbach has spent over 20 years developing practical, evidence-based tools that help transform how practitioners work with their most difficult cases, earning him international recognition as "the practical tools guy" and becoming one of the world's most sought-after trainers in cognitive behavioral interventions.
As a three-time bestselling, award-winning author and Diplomat of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy, Dr. Riggenbach brings unparalleled expertise in translating complex therapeutic concepts into immediately usable clinical tools. His books The CBT Toolbox and The BPD Toolbox (Amazon #1 new release) have become essential resources for practitioners worldwide, while his latest work Disarming High Conflict Personalities addresses one of the most challenging aspects of clinical and organisational work. His training at the Beck Institute of Cognitive Therapy and Research, combined with 20 years directing CBT-based treatment programs in psychiatric hospitals where he served over 3,000 clients, gives him deep understanding of what actually works with resistant populations.
Dr. Riggenbach's expertise spans Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Schema-Focused Cognitive Therapy, personality disorders treatment (especially Borderline Personality Disorder), trauma and addiction, and high-conflict personality management. His approach bridges the gap between academic research and frontline clinical reality, showing practitioners how to adapt evidence-based techniques for clients who don't fit textbook presentations. He specialises in cases where traditional therapy approaches have failed, particularly with clients who are hostile, manipulative, or treatment-resistant.
What sets his training apart is practical applicability under real-world conditions. Riggenbach doesn't just teach theory - he shows clinicians exactly what to say and do when facing their most challenging moments. His international training reach across all 50 U.S. states, Canada, Mexico, UK, Malta, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa demonstrates his ability to adapt techniques across diverse populations and practice settings.
For your practice, expect to gain specific intervention scripts for difficult situations, tools for managing your own emotional responses to challenging clients, and frameworks for maintaining therapeutic progress with treatment-resistant cases. His approach particularly benefits clinicians working in high-stress environments, those dealing with personality disorders, or practitioners who feel burned out from difficult cases.
Quick Win: Riggenbach's "emotional regulation interrupt" technique helps clinicians quickly de-escalate volatile therapeutic situations while maintaining professional boundaries - helping to prevent session ruptures and keeping treatment on track.
Qualifications
- Ph.D., Christian Counseling
- Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Oklahoma, current
- Diplomat of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy
- Certified Cognitive Therapist, Beck Institute of Cognitive Therapy and Research, Philadelphia
- John Maxwell Team Certified Speaker/Trainer/Coach
- Certified Behavioral Consultant
- 20+ years clinical experience
Authored Books
- Disarming High Conflict Personalities: Dealing with the 8 Most Difficult People in Your Life Before You Burnout (latest release)
- The BPD Toolbox: A Practical Evidence-Based Guide to Regulating Intense Emotions (2016, Amazon #1 new release, award-winning)
- The CBT Toolbox: A Workbook for Clients, Clinicians and Coaches (2012, 1st and 2nd editions, bestseller)
- Seven total publications
Professional Experience
- International Speaker/Trainer/Coach, John Maxwell Team, current
- Clinical Director, Private Practice/Consulting, current
- Award-Winning Author & Behavioral Consultant, Tulsa, OK, current
- APA & NBCC/ACEP Approved Provider, Continuing Education Credits, current
- Director, CBT-based treatment programs, Two psychiatric hospitals (20 years, served 3,000+ clients)
- Treatment Program Developer, Mood Disorder, Anxiety Disorder, BPD programs, Two psychiatric hospitals
- Staff Member, Brookhaven Psychiatric Hospital, Tulsa, OK
International Training Reach
- Trained audiences in all 50 United States, Canada, Mexico, UK, Malta, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Ireland
- Conference keynote addresses and specialised workshops worldwide
Ready to work confidently with your most challenging clients? Discover how Dr. Riggenbach's practical, evidence-based tools can help transform your ability to achieve breakthrough results with treatment-resistant cases while maintaining your own professional well-being.
Feedback & Reviews
This course includes:
- Lessons 5
- Topics 0
- Duration 8 hours
- Quizzes 1
- Language English