Many of the difficulties clients bring aren't isolated incidents, but patterns that repeat, in relationships, at work, or in how someone thinks and feels about themselves. This might look like consistently choosing similar relationship dynamics, struggling to set boundaries, difficulty trusting others, or finding the same conflicts resurfacing across different relationships and settings. It can also show up more broadly, in longer-standing, personality-level patterns around self-worth, perfectionism, or emotional regulation, often present since childhood or adolescence.

These patterns are usually learned early on, shaped by past experiences, and tend to operate somewhat automatically until they're properly understood. Schema therapy is particularly well-suited to this kind of work, helping to identify and gradually shift deeply rooted patterns that shorter-term approaches don't always reach, while CBT can help address the more immediate thoughts and behaviours playing out day to day. Together, we'll look at where these patterns come from and how to build something healthier in their place.