Abstract

Schema Therapy is a modern, rapidly spreading, integrative psychotherapy. The International Society of Schema Therapy (ISST) lists members from 72 countries from all cultures. One of its most powerful tools is correcting and “reparenting” negative schemas, that are rooted in bad childhood experiences. Undoubtedly Schema Therapy has a transcultural unifying power. On the other hand, as we could recently realize at the Football World Championship, there are profound gaps between Arab and Western values, lifestyles and identities. Sensitive topics, cultural traditions, city-rural divergences, different family and gender models even in a changing world may influence the therapist-client interactions much more than the Western Schema Therapy trainer might be aware of. A recent ISST work group claimed that the principles and mode definitions of Schema Therapy would/should be transculturally and globally applicable to any population. In this workshop we will question and discuss whether this is really the case: Christoph Fuhrhans, working as Schema Therapy trainer in Arab countries; Ahmed Hanafy, first certified Egyptian Schema Therapist, and Rola Qawasmi & Sherein Abdeen, who work with Schema Therapy in Palestine, will present a set of repetitive critical points and underline them with case vignettes from their daily work:
1. Dealing with problematic parenting figures in emotional activating techniques (Input: S. Abdeen, C. Fuhrhans).
2. Dealing with clients that are staying in abusive families – a case of “breaking free” (Input: R. Quawasmi).
3. Religious views and parental bonding, incl. grief and loss (Input: A. Hanafy)
4. What is a “Healthy Adult” mode, and how gender-related is it? (Input: A. Hanafy, C. Fuhrhans)
After a short input to each point we will discuss with the audience the possibilities, limitations, challenges and opportunities of Schema Therapy in the Arab world.