Combining Schema-Focused Cognitive Therapy and Psychodrama: A Model for Treating Clients With Personality Disorders

Authors

  • LUCY F. GRIFFITH Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.12926/8jme7k39

Keywords:

cognitive therapy

Abstract

In this article, the author reviews the historical interface between behavior therapies and psychodrama, noting their mutually enhancing elements. She proposes an integration of those elements as a vehicle for providing brief, yet intensive therapy for difficult-to-treat clients, such as those with personality disorders. With a review of relevant principles of psychodramatic practice, she clarifies the compatibility of the 2 types of therapy with basic learning theory concepts. The author provides an overview of schema-focused cognitive therapy, including findings on the validity of Young's schema questionnaire. She also presents and discusses a model for the presentation of schema-focused cognitive therapy through the medium of psychodrama.

References

Abele, A. (1989). Psychodrama and social psychology: A theoretical analysis with respect to cognitive restructuring. International Journal of Small Group Research, 5, 29-4 6 .

Abelson, R. (1981). Psychological status of the script concept. American Psychologist, 36, 715-729.

Adler, A. (1998). Understanding human nature. New York: Hazelden.

Bandura, A. (1978). The self-system in reciprocal determinism. American Psychologist, 33, 344-358.

Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.

Bandura, A., & Walters, R. (1963). Social learning and personality development. New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston.

Bartlett, F. (1932). Remembering. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Beck, A. (1967). Depression: Causes and treatment. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.

Blatner, A. (1988). Foundations of psychodrama: History, theory and practice. New York: Springer.

Blatner, A. (1989). Acting-in: Practical applications of psychodramatic methods. New York: Springer.

Bricker, D., & Young, J. (1993). A Client's Guide to Schema-Focused Cognitive Therapy. New York: Guilford.

Eysenck, H.J. (1967). The biological basis of personality. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas.

Fox, J. (Ed.). (1987). The essential Moreno. New York: Springer.

Hudgins, M., & Kiesler, D. (1987). Individual experiential psychotherapy: An analogue validation of the intervention module of doubling. Psychotherapy, 24, 245-255.

Joyce-Moniz, L. (1988). Self-talk, dramatic expression, and constructivism. In C. Perris, I. M. Bleckbum, & H. Perris (Eds.), Cognitive therapy: Theory and practice. Heidelberg, W. Germany: Springer- Verlag.

Kellermann, P. (1991). An essay on the metascience of psychodrama. Journal of Group Psychotherapy, Psychodrama and Sociometry, 44, 19-32.

Kelly, G. R. (1955). The psychology of personal constructs. New York: Norton.

Kelly, G. R. (1978). Behaviorism and psychodrama: Worlds not so far apart. Group Psychotherapy, Psychodrama and Sociometry, 31, 154-162.

Kipper, D. A. (1982). Behavior simulation: A model for the study of the simulation aspect of psychodrama. Journal of Group Psychotherapy, Psychodrama & Sociometry, 35, 1-17.

Kipper, D. A (1989). Psychodrama research and the study of small groups. International Journal of Small Group Research, 5, 4-27.

Kipper, D. A. (1991). The dynamics of role satisfaction: A theoretical model. Journal of Group Psychotherapy, Psychodrama & Sociometry, 44, 71-86.

Lazarus, A. (1976). Multimodal behavior therapy. New York: Springer.

Leveton, E. (2001) A Clinician's Guide to Psychodrama (3rd ed.). New York: Springer.

Linehan, M. (1993). Cognitive-behavioral treatment of borderline personality disorder. New York: Guilford Press.

Mahoney, M. (1991a). Human change processes. New York: Basic Books.

Mahoney, M. (1991b). Human change processes. New York: Basic Books.

Monte, C. F. (Ed.). (1995). Beneath the mask (5th ed.). Orlando, FL: Harcourt Brace College Publishers.

Moreno, J. L. (1958). Fundamental rules and techniques of psychodrama. In J. Masserman & J. L. Moreno (Eds.), Progress in psychotherapy, Volume 3 (pp. 86--131). New York: Grune & Stratton.

Moreno, J. L. (1963). Behavior therapy. American Journal of Psychiatry, 120, 194-196.

Schmidt, N., Joiner, T., Young, J., & Telch, M. (1995). The schema questionnaire: Investigation of psychometric properties and the hierarchical structure of a measure of maladaptive schema. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 19, 295-321.

Skafte, D. (1987). Video in groups: Implications for a social theory of the self. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 37, 389 4 0 2 .

Starr, A. (1977). Rehearsal for living: Psychodrama. Chicago: Nelson Hall.

Stewart, A. E. B., & John, R. (1991). Origins of George Kelly's constructivism in the work of Korzybski and Moreno. International Journal of Personal Construct Psychology, 4, 121-136.

Sturm, I.E. (1965). The behavioristic aspect of psychodrama. Group Psychotherapy, 18, 50-64.

Sturm, I. E. (1970). A behavioral outline of psychodrama. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, 7, 245-247.

Taylor, G. (1996). Competency-based psychodrama. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Group Psychotherapy, Psychodrama and Sociometry, Houston, Texas, April 25.

Thorndyke, P., & Hayes-Roth, B. (1979). The use of schemata in the acquisition and transfer of knowledge. Cognitive Psychology, 11, 82-106.

Vaihinger, H. (1984). The philosophy of as if: A system of the theoretical, practical and religious fictions of mankind. New York: Routledge.

Wolpe, J. (1958). Psychotherapy by reciprocal inhibition. Stanford: Stanford University Press.

Yalom, I. (1985). Theory and practice of group psychotherapy (3rd ed.). New York: Basic Books.

Young, J. (1999). Cognitive therapy for personality disorders: A schema-focused approach (3rd ed.). Sarasota, FL: Professional Resource Press.

Young, J., & Klosko, J. (1993). Reinventing your life. New York: Dutton.

Young, J., Klosko, J., & Weishaar, M. (2003). Schema Therapy: A Practitioner's Guide. New York: Guilford.

Downloads

Published

2026-01-23

Issue

Vol. 55 No. 4 (2003): Group Psychotherapy, Psychodrama, and Sociometry

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Journal of Psychodrama, Sociometry, and Group Psychotherapy

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

You are free to:

  1. Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
  2. The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms.

Under the following terms:

  1. Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
  2. NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes.
  3. NoDerivatives — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you may not distribute the modified material.
  4. No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.

Notices:

You do not have to comply with the license for elements of the material in the public domain or where your use is permitted by an applicable exception or limitation.

No warranties are given. The license may not give you all of the permissions necessary for your intended use. For example, other rights such as publicity, privacy, or moral rights may limit how you use the material.