Emotional Schema Therapy

Robert L. Leahy, PhD, is Director of the American Institute for Cognitive Therapy in New York and Clinical Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College. His research focuses on individual differences in emotion regulation.

Dr. Leahy, one of the leaders of cognitive behavioral therapy, master clinician, and prolific author has yet again enriched the field with Emotional Schema Therapy. This approach targets the way we think about our emotions, evaluate them, and cope with them. Using his rich clinical background, Dr. Leahy's new text will help countless people deal with their emotional distress. It is a must read.Stefan G. Hofmann, PhD, Professor of Psychology, Boston University, USADr. Leahy presents his latest thinking on his emotional schema theory, a novel and integrated approach to conceptualising and dealing with emotions in therapy. The impact of metacognitive, compassion and cognitive theories is evident in Dr. Leahy’s discourse as he sets out new avenues for conceptualisation, research and treatment of the complex emotional life. Professor Adrian Wells, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, UKDr Leahy’s new book will be a valuable and accessible resource for therapists wishing to know more about Emotional Schema Therapy.Sabine Wilhelm, PhD, Chief of Psychology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Professor, Harvard Medical School

• Table of ContentsPart I: The Emotional Schema Model From Cognition to Emotion Emotions Are Multifaceted Evolutionary Adaptation and Emotion Social Construction of Emotion Emotions Are an Object of Cognition Beliefs about Emotions Reflect Cognitive Biases Fourteen Dimensions of Emotional Schemas How Others Respond to Our Emotions Affective Forecasting- Predicting Future Emotions Normalizing and Pathologizing Emotions Metaphors of Inclusiveness of Emotions Emotional Perfectionism Identifying Maladaptive Emotion Regulation Strategies Emotional Socialization Emotional Schemas in Therapy Part II: Modifying Emotional Schemas Identifying and Evaluating Theories of Cause and Change Adaptive Emotion Regulation Strategies Case Conceptualization Expression of Emotion Validation, Self-Validation and Self-Compassion Problematic Strategies for Seeking Validation Emotions are Universal Guilt and Shame Emotions are Not Permanent Escalation and Control Personal Empowerment Tolerance for Ambivalence and Complexity Relating Emotions to Values Interpersonal Emotional Schemas Research on Emotional Schemas