The Schema Therapy Training Center
Your Most Difficult Clients Aren’t Failing Therapy.
They’re Waiting for the Right Approach.
Schema Therapy is designed to reach entrenched patterns that often remain after symptoms, thoughts, or skills have already been addressed, and STTC trains you to practice it at a world-class level.
ISST-Approved Training · Global Cohort · Founded by a Co-Developer of Schema Therapy for Couples
The Missing Layer
You’re Already Skilled. This Is What’s Underneath.
CBT
Changes thoughts
DBT
Builds regulation
ACT
Builds flexibility
Schema Therapy
Changes the pattern underneath all three
Most clinicians add Schema Therapy after mastering another model, not instead of one.
ISST-Approved Training · A Growing Evidence Base for Longstanding, Entrenched Patterns ↓
The Evidence
This Isn’t Just a Compelling Framework
Schema Therapy has been tested directly against other established treatments for complex, longstanding presentations, and it holds up.
Head-to-Head
A Landmark Comparison Trial
In a randomized controlled trial for borderline personality disorder, Schema Therapy was compared directly against transference-focused psychotherapy. Schema Therapy produced higher recovery rates and fewer dropouts over three years of treatment.
Beyond BPD
Evidence Across Personality Presentations
Controlled studies have extended these findings beyond borderline personality disorder to avoidant and narcissistic presentations, and to chronic, treatment-resistant depression.
Still Holding Up
Recent Comparisons With DBT
More recent trials comparing Schema Therapy with other leading specialized treatments, including DBT, continue to support it as a serious, evidence-based option for complex, longstanding difficulties.
Why STTC
Trained by Someone Who Helped Build the Field
Direct Lineage
You get the reasoning behind the model, not a secondhand summary.
Couples Expertise
Real nuance from a co-developer of Schema Therapy for Couples.
Learn by Doing
Every session combines focused teaching with demonstration, guided role play, experiential practice, and feedback.
International Standing
Coursework aligned with internationally recognized ISST certification requirements.
Small Cohorts
Capped at 20 participants: real discussion of your cases, not a room of eighty.
Deep Conceptual Understanding
Move beyond techniques to understand why schemas develop, how modes shift, and how to make confident clinical decisions with complex clients.
“Training with clinicians from around the world sharpens your thinking as much as the curriculum does.”
How You’ll Actually Learn
We Didn’t Just Teach the Content. We Engineered How You’d Retain It.
After a typical multi-day intensive, clinicians tend to retain only a fraction of what they learned within a month. When the same material is spaced out and reinforced between sessions, retention improves substantially. This program is built around that research, not around convenience.
Weekly, Not Crammed
3-hour sessions, spaced out, so skills actually stick.
Retrieve, Then Build
Every session starts by recalling last week’s work.
Practice Live
You do the technique in the room, not just discuss it.
Apply, Then Discuss
Use it with real clients, then bring what happened back to the group the following week for instructor feedback and case discussion.
This loop is where clinical judgment is actually built. It’s course-based clinical discussion and instructor feedback, not individual consultation or supervision.
The Transformation
The Therapist You’ll Become
The Therapist You Are Today
- ✕Stuck with clients who won’t move
- ✕Second-guessing every intervention
- ✕Dreading certain sessions
The Therapist You’ll Become
- ✓Confident in the room, even with hard cases
- ✓Cases finally moving again
- ✓The therapist colleagues refer their hardest clients to
You’ll catch a mode shift while it’s happening. You’ll know exactly which intervention this moment calls for. And you’ll finally understand why the pattern keeps repeating, because you’ll be able to see it clearly enough to name it out loud.
Choose Your Pathway
Which Path Is Yours?
Individual Certification
“You already know this client. Ready to finally know what to do with them?”
Learn More →Couples Certification
“When the pattern lives between two people, not just inside one. Start here.”
Learn More →Find a Schema Therapist
“Not a clinician, just looking for care? Find a certified therapist near you.”
Search the Directory →
Your Trainer
Learn From Someone Who Helped Build the Field
Travis Atkinson began training directly with Jeffrey Young in 1994 and worked alongside him for more than a decade at the Cognitive Therapy Center of New York. Together, they helped build the first international training program in Schema Therapy, and Travis went on to co-develop Schema Therapy for Couples.
He is an Honorary Lifetime Member of the International Society of Schema Therapy and one of its original founders. When you train here, you’re learning from someone who helped shape the model, not simply someone certified to deliver it.
Questions
Before You Apply
Is the training ISST-approved?+
Yes. Both the Individual and Couples programs are ISST-approved training that fulfill the coursework hours required for ISST certification.
Does completing the coursework make me certified?+
Not on its own. This program fulfills the full coursework component required by ISST. Certification also requires separate consultation and competency requirements set by ISST, which are not included in this coursework.
Is the training live?+
Yes. Sessions run live online, weekly, and blend didactic teaching with demonstration, guided role play, experiential practice, and instructor feedback.
What happens if I miss a session?+
Recordings of each live session are available for at least a year after training ends, so missing a week doesn’t mean missing the material.
Is consultation or supervision included?+
The coursework includes group discussion of your cases and instructor feedback each week. This is course-based clinical discussion, not the individual ISST consultation or supervision required separately for certification.
Do I need previous Schema Therapy training?+
No. The program is built for licensed clinicians working with individual adults or couples, whether you’re new to Schema Therapy or already have some background in it.
Can international clinicians participate?+
Yes. Cohorts are made up of clinicians from around the world, training together live online.
How does regional tuition work?+
Tuition is set on a regional, cost-of-living basis using World Bank country tiers, with installment plans available. Every clinician receives the same live coursework regardless of tier. View tuition details →
Go Deeper
Learn More About Schema Therapy
Choosing a Program
How to Choose the Right ISST-Approved Program
A guide to evaluating training by lineage, format, and what actually changes in the room.
The Evidence
Schema Therapy for Borderline Personality Disorder
A closer look at the research behind Schema Therapy’s outcomes for complex, longstanding presentations.
Complementary Models
IFS vs Schema Therapy
Why clinicians trained in other modalities are adding Schema Therapy to their toolkit.
Applications Are Open for the Fall 2026 Cohorts
Individual Certification begins September 10. Couples Certification begins September 23. Both run live, weekly, in cohorts capped at 20 participants.
Apply Now