CPD-PSYCH offers

continuing professional development (CPD)

in psychology and related fields.

Created by myself to help train up future generations of psychotherapists interested in Schema Therapy and Cognitive Behavioural Therapies such as CT and REBT.

Along the way however, this mission became a vision; to open up some of the invaluable knowledge this field conveys to the general public.

Why is it that something so basic as understanding and being in tune with our inner psyche is not taught from a young age at school? More often than not, little or no guidance is given until we hit a major bump in the road that is our life. And how are we supposed to be good parents if we don’t even understand ourselves properly?

I am passionate about helping people find peace and harmony within themselves, in order to make way for a more authentic and fulfilling existence. It is with this in mind that I wrote a series of workshops that reflect some of the psychological, philosophical and spiritual principles behind healthy living.

Workshops are open to any individual wishing to develop him or herself, as well as students in the medical or mental health field. Workshops are offered in English, at various levels, some open to all, some closed off to only psychology graduate students. Although CBT based, they integrate many other schools of therapy and help people to build compassion, empathy, integrity, communication and assertiveness skills as well as self-confidence. Skills essential for connecting with and validating others’ feelings and experiences, as well as learning to build healthy personal and professional relationships for oneself. No matter what the level, these are the types of workshops I wish someone would have taught me at the beginning of my career, not to mention as I entered adulthood.

For those who already hold a valid master’s degree in psychology (Clinical, General or other), CPD-PSYCH offers an Internationally renowned and recognised program in Basic and Advanced Schema Therapy which is ISST (International Society of Schema Therapy) approved.

About Schema Therapy and how it inspired the identity of CPD-PSYCH.

Schema Therapy is an innovative psychotherapy developed by Dr. Jeffrey Young for personality disorders, chronic depression and other difficult individual and couples’ problems. Schema Therapy integrates elements of Cognitive Therapy, Behaviour Therapy, Object Relations and Gestalt Therapy into one unified, systematic approach to treatment. Schema Therapy has recently been blended with mindfulness meditation for clients who want to add a spiritual dimension to their lives.

Schema therapists help people to identify longstanding patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving that are maladaptive and destructive. These deeper patterns or themes are known as ‘schemas’ or ‘lifetraps’ and typically begin early in life. Examples of these might be the feeling that ‘I am unlovable’, ‘not good enough’, ‘people shouldn’t be trusted’, ‘bad things are going to happen to me’ and so on…

Schema therapists will also work with moment to moment emotional states and coping responses known as ‘modes’. A mode is a physiological activation inside of us that we act out. This happens when we experience situations we are overly sensitive to, due to childhood core needs not having been met. Our ‘emotional buttons’ get pushed and we overreact and respond in ways that end up hurting us and others.

Central to Schema Therapy is the concept that children have core needs and that these hopefully get adequately fulfilled in childhood. Sadly, for many, this is not the case. A Schema therapist will help navigate, negotiate or neutralise problematic parts that have built up as a result, and heal, nurture and ‘reparent’ our most vulnerable part so as to get our core needs met.

Schema Therapy then, is about learning to reparent oneself in order to create a healthy adult who knows how to find healthy ways to get his or her core needs met.

And that is how I came to choose the logo for CPD-PSYCH, a shell bathed in the soothing colours of the region, whose layers reflect the sum of our various parts, with our most vulnerable part and core needs nestled deep inside.

I hope you will enjoy whatever program you choose.

Carla A. Shehfe
Founder and General Manager

Continuing Professional Development in psychology.

Clinical psychology workshops to help expand emotional intelligence and connect you with a more authentic life.

EMAIL US

CONNECT WITH US