COUPLES TRAINING PROGRAM
ISST Certification in Schema Therapy for Couples: Requirements, Process, and Timelines
ISST certification in schema therapy for couples confirms that a clinician has met the International Society of Schema Therapy’s standards for couples training, educational consultation, and demonstrated competency with real couples on recorded sessions. This page walks licensed mental health professionals through every requirement: the prior individual certification you need first, the 30 hours of couples training, consultation built on your own session recordings, the competency ratings, and the application itself. It also shows how the Schema Therapy Training Center’s couples program is built to carry you through the training component and prepare you for the rest.
30 hrs
ISST couples training required
33 hrs
provided by STTC
10 / 20 hrs
educational consultation
4.0 / 4.5
ST-CRS rating thresholds
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Couples certification builds on individual certification. You need ISST Standard certification in individual schema therapy first, or an ISST-approved 30-hour preparatory training in the schema therapy model.
- The couples training requirement is 30 hours: 18 didactic hours plus 12 hours of dyadic role-play training. STTC’s program provides 33 hours, covering the full ISST couples curriculum.
- Educational consultation is based on your own recorded couples sessions: 10 hours for Standard certification, 20 hours total for Advanced.
- Competency is rated on the Schema Couples Therapy Rating Scale (ST-CRS). Standard requires one rated session at 4.0 or above. Advanced requires two rated sessions at 4.5 or above, one of them with a difficult couple.
What is ISST certification in schema therapy for couples, and who is it for?
Schema therapy for couples (ST-C) adapts the schema model to the relationship itself. Each partner’s schemas and modes meet in a repeating mode cycle, and the work targets that cycle: the childhood wounds underneath it, the coping responses that keep it running, and the connection the couple is trying to recover. ISST certification in ST-C is the international credential awarded by the International Society of Schema Therapy to clinicians who have completed approved couples training, worked under educational consultation on their own couples cases, and demonstrated competency on rated recordings of their couples sessions.
The credential is designed for licensed mental health professionals who already practice schema therapy with individuals and want to extend the model to couples, including complex presentations: relationship injuries, affairs and betrayals, addiction in the relationship, and couples where one or both partners carry personality disorder patterns. STTC’s couples training is built to satisfy the training requirement for this certification and to ground trainees in the full ISST couples curriculum.
Who can apply for ISST couples certification?
Applicants need to satisfy the threshold requirements before couples hours are counted.
- Membership. Full ISST membership is required for certification.
- Academic qualification. A Master’s degree or equivalent in psychology, social work, counseling, or a related mental health field, with licensure or registration to practice independently in your jurisdiction. Exceptions may apply where national psychotherapy practices differ from the standard ISST framework.
- Prior schema therapy certification or training. Standard certification in individual schema therapy from ISST, or a specific 30-hour schema therapy training approved as preparation for couples certification: 12 hours on the ST model, case conceptualization, and the therapeutic relationship, 12 hours of experiential techniques, and 6 hours experiencing your own schemas and self-disclosure. For Advanced couples certification, the corresponding prior credential is Advanced certification in individual schema therapy.
In practice, most clinicians who reach STTC’s couples program already meet these conditions through their individual certification. If your route in is the preparatory training rather than individual certification, contact STTC and we will help you map it.
What are the training and consultation requirements for couples certification?
Couples certification has two levels. Standard certification is the entry credential. Advanced certification reflects a deeper body of consulted work and higher rated competency, and it is the level required before a clinician can move toward becoming an ST-C Educational Consultant or Trainer.
Requirements at a glance
| Requirement | Standard | Advanced |
|---|---|---|
| Prior credential | ISST Standard certification in individual ST, or an approved 30-hour preparatory ST training | ISST Advanced certification in individual ST, or the same approved preparation |
| Couples training | 30 hours total: 18 didactic + 12 dyadic role-play | Completed at Standard level |
| Educational consultation (case discussion based on your session recordings) | 10 hours with an ST-C Educational Consultant | 20 hours total (10 at Standard + 10 more) |
| Consultant’s session review | Your consultant reviews at least 2 of your couples session recordings and gives feedback | At least 4 recordings reviewed with feedback |
| Recommendation | Recommendation of an ST-C Educational Consultant/Trainer who knows your work | Same |
| Rated session recordings | 1 recording, minimum ST-CRS score of 4.0 | 2 recordings, minimum ST-CRS score of 4.5 each; one must be a difficult couple (see Module V of the curriculum) |
| Recording format | 45 to 60 minutes; video preferred, audio may be accepted at Standard level on request | Video |
LEVEL ONE
Requirements for Standard Certification
- 30 hours of approved couples training: 18 didactic hours and 12 hours of dyadic role-play training covering the ISST couples curriculum below
- 10 hours of educational consultation with an ST-C Educational Consultant, in case discussion based on your own session recordings
- Your consultant has reviewed at least 2 of your couples session recordings and given you feedback on them
- Submission of one recorded couples session (45 to 60 minutes) for independent rating
- Minimum score of 4.0 on the Schema Couples Therapy Rating Scale (ST-CRS)
- The recommendation of your ST-C Educational Consultant/Trainer
LEVEL TWO
Requirements for Advanced Certification
- 20 hours of educational consultation in total (10 hours at Standard level plus 10 further hours)
- Your consultant has reviewed at least 4 of your couples session recordings and given you feedback on them
- Submission of two recorded couples sessions for independent rating
- Minimum ST-CRS score of 4.5 on both recordings, and one of the two must show your work with a difficult couple, as described in Module V of the curriculum below
- A recording submitted for Standard certification may count toward Advanced if it received a rating of 4.5 or above
A note on terms. The term “Educational Consultant / Trainer” is used in place of “Supervisor.” This respects cross jurisdictional licensing restrictions on supervision and reflects the understanding that the Consultant is not clinically responsible for the case, but advises and educates on the model.
Schema Couples Therapy Rating Scale (ST-CRS)
The ST-CRS is the structured tool ISST reviewers use to evaluate recorded couples sessions. It rates competency in applying the couples model in the room: conceptualizing the couple’s mode cycle, working with both partners’ modes, and using the model’s change strategies with a real couple in real time. The rating process is anchored in observable in-session behavior rather than self-report.
Because the ST-CRS thresholds are firm (4.0 and 4.5), most candidates build their consultation hours around recordings from the start, so the sessions they eventually submit have already been reviewed, discussed, and strengthened with their consultant.
How does the application process work?
- Complete the training and consultation requirements. Finish an approved 30-hour couples training, then accumulate your educational consultation hours on couples cases from your own practice.
- Secure your consultant’s recommendation. Your ST-C Educational Consultant/Trainer, who has reviewed your recordings and knows your work, agrees to recommend you.
- Submit your recording(s) for rating. One recording for Standard, two for Advanced, following the ISST guidance document: Schema Therapy for Couples (ST-C): How to submit your session recording(s) to be rated and prepare your application for certification.
- Complete the application form. The ISST Application Form for Certification covers the couples specialty: training component, consultation hours, treatment cases, and the ratings of your recordings.
- Regional review and outcome. Your file is reviewed through your Regional or National ISST Coordinator and the ISST couples certification route. Approved applicants receive their certification from ISST.
ISST’s application guidance allows a minimum of one year and a maximum of three years after completing training to fulfill the consultation requirements and the rating of recordings, with extensions considered for special circumstances. Grand-parenting may be considered in special cases where an applicant demonstrates an exceptional level of training and experience in both couples therapy and schema therapy; all applicants, however, must submit recorded sessions and meet the ST-CRS cut-offs above. Full details live on the ISST couples certification page.
What does STTC offer for couples certification?
STTC’s Schema Therapy Certification Coursework for Couples is an ISST-approved training program that fulfills the full coursework component of couples certification, and exceeds the required hours.
- 33 hours of live online training across 11 weekly sessions, against the 30 hours ISST requires (18 didactic + 12 dyadic role-play). Sessions run 3 hours, spaced weekly, so skills consolidate between meetings.
- The complete ISST couples curriculum, all five modules below, taught by Travis Atkinson, a co-developer of Schema Therapy for Couples who began training with Jeffrey Young in 1994.
- Demonstration, guided role play, experiential practice, and instructor feedback in every session, with cohorts capped at 20 participants.
- A certificate of completion documenting your training hours for your certification file.
- A clear line between coursework and certification. The program fulfills the coursework component. Educational consultation, the consultant recommendation, and the rated recordings are separate ISST requirements, arranged after or alongside coursework. STTC offers supervision and consultation for trainees moving toward certification, on the same tiered tuition structure as coursework.
- Next cohort: the Fall 2027 Couples Certification cohort begins September 22, 2027. Applications are open.
The ISST couples curriculum: what the training covers
STTC’s program teaches the full curriculum set out in the ISST Schema Couples Therapy Training Modules.
MODULE I
Assessment
- Identify schemas of each partner, and define the default relationship mode cycle
- Use assessment inventories: YSQ-3, YPI, SMI, BDI, BAI, DAS, WC, etc.
- Conceptualize schemas and the default mode cycle
- Link childhood wounds and maladaptive relationship patterns to current relationship, and identify strengths of the relationship
- Introduce Schema Flashcard, Mode Mapping, Mode Clash Card, Needs vs. Wants Tool
- Identify schema chemistry and schema clashes
- Assess degree of passion, romance, intimacy, and sexual satisfaction
- Determine if any complicating factors (levels of commitment, individual past trauma or disorders, injuries in the relationship, etc.) and/or contraindications (active affairs, addictions, patterns of violence, etc.)
- Find supplemental resources or treatment, as needed
- Create “Needs Road Map”
- Identify vision of the love relationship: goals, dreams, mission, desired legacy
- Establish goals of treatment, and set the time frame
MODULE II
Therapeutic Relationship Strategies
- Create and maintain a secure therapeutic bond
- Apply a therapist stance of being flexible, active, and directive
- Practice “empathic confrontation,” as needed
- Use therapeutic self-disclosure
- Intervene when therapist’s own schemas and modes are activated in-session
- Differentiate between the “wants” and the “needs” of the therapist and the couple
- Repair ruptures in the therapeutic relationship
- Discuss ethics and confidentiality concerns with the couple (disclosures, consultation with other therapists, conflicts of interest, confidentiality issues, etc.)
MODULE III
Interventions and Change Strategies
- Connecting Dialogues: provide antidotes to schemas and maladaptive modes by identifying and expressing (1) core emotions (2) urges to cope. Next, use adaptive coping modes to invite partner to meet needs
- Chair Work: use mode dialogues to address mode cycle and schemas
- Imagery Rescripting: identify childhood origins of schemas, link to current relationship, create antidote to schema origins while deepening emotional depth and increasing emotional connection
- Use tools to shift clashes: Mode Clash Cards, Schema Flashcards, Meta-perspective, “Needs vs. Wants” tool, etc.
- Couples Toolbox: assign homework to solidify work in-between sessions
MODULE IV
Solidifying Change and Preventing Relapse
- Develop a language for deeper emotional connection
- Build shared meaning in roles, rituals, goals, values, dreams
- Create a shared narrative of the couple’s story, including desired legacy
- Build and sustain mutually satisfying passion, romance, intimacy, and sexual satisfaction, and address any sexual dysfunctions
- Solidify mode cycles to create antidotes to schemas with interactions involving (a.) self-and-partner soothing (b.) inviting bids (c.) successful repairs (d.) stance of curiosity and acceptance
MODULE V
Treating Difficult Couples
- Address and heal relationship injuries (affairs, betrayals, other significant injuries)
- Confront addictions, aggressive modes, and patterns of physical violence
- Treat couples with survivors of childhood trauma (sexual, emotional, physical)
- Treat specific personality disorders in a couple (BPD, NPD, Avoidant, Antisocial, etc.)
REGIONAL CONTACTS
Regional contacts
Every applicant submits through their Regional or National ISST Coordinator. The coordinator confirms documentation, advises on local procedures, and routes the file onward. The list of coordinators is the same as on our Individual certification requirements page; the canonical roster lives on the ISST website.
- United States and Canada Chiara Simeone-DiFrancesco, who also chairs the ISST couples certification work
If you cannot reach your coordinator, contact STTC and we will help you make the connection.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about ISST couples certification
Do I need individual certification before couples certification?
Yes, in one of two forms. Either hold ISST certification in individual schema therapy (Standard for the Standard couples credential, Advanced for Advanced), or complete a specific 30-hour schema therapy training approved as preparation for couples certification: 12 hours on the model, case conceptualization and the therapeutic relationship, 12 hours of experiential techniques, and 6 hours of self-experience work with your own schemas.
Does STTC’s couples training count toward the training requirement?
Yes. The program is ISST-approved and provides 33 hours of live training across 11 sessions, covering the full couples curriculum. ISST requires 30 hours (18 didactic plus 12 dyadic role-play), so the coursework component is fulfilled in full.
Does completing the coursework make me certified?
Not on its own. Coursework is one component. Certification also requires educational consultation hours based on your own session recordings, your consultant’s recommendation, and one or two recordings that meet the ST-CRS thresholds. Those steps sit outside the coursework and are arranged separately. STTC offers consultation for trainees moving toward certification.
Why “Educational Consultant” instead of “supervisor”?
The term “Educational Consultant / Trainer” is used in place of “Supervisor.” This respects cross jurisdictional licensing restrictions on supervision and reflects the understanding that the Consultant is not clinically responsible for the case, but advises and educates on the model.
What makes a couple a “difficult couple” for the Advanced recording?
Module V of the curriculum defines the territory: couples working through relationship injuries such as affairs and betrayals, addiction, aggressive modes or patterns of violence, childhood trauma in one or both partners, and personality disorders in the couple. One of the two Advanced recordings must come from work of this kind.
Can international clinicians apply?
Yes. ISST certification is a global credential. Applications route through your Regional or National Coordinator, and STTC’s cohorts train clinicians from around the world.
How long do I have after training to finish certification?
ISST’s application guidance gives a minimum of one year and a maximum of three years after training to complete the consultation requirements and the recording ratings. Extensions can be requested for special circumstances.
What happens after I am certified?
Standard-certified couples therapists can deepen toward Advanced certification. Advanced-certified clinicians can begin the path toward becoming an ST-C Educational Consultant/Trainer, which includes assisting in an entire 30-hour couples training with a highly favorable letter of support from the ST-C certified training leader.
Next steps toward ISST couples certification
If you are weighing whether couples certification fits your practice, the most useful next step is usually a direct conversation about your background and goals.
- Apply for the next couples schema therapy training cohort (Fall 2027 begins September 22, 2027).
- Request details about STTC educational consultation for certification candidates.
- Review the requirements for Individual certification if you still need the prior credential.