Schema therapy is a talking therapy that is used to explore deeply ingrained patterns of thinking and feeling. These patterns can lead to affects in your daily life, influencing how you react to difficult experiences, your coping skills and relationships.
We make use of schema therapy because it can be beneficial to people who hold these beliefs and patterns, helping them see how they are contributing to substance abuse.
- What Is Schema Therapy?
- How Can Schemas Affect Substance Use?
- How Does Schema Therapy Work?
- Schema Therapy for Drug and Alcohol Addiction
- Schema Therapy at Ocean Recovery Centre
- Our Rehab Facilities
- Images of Our Facilities
- Facilities at Ocean Recovery
- Give Us A Call
- Schema Therapy Compared with CBT and DBT
- Who May Benefit from Schema Therapy?
- Schema Therapy and Relapse Prevention
- Schema Therapy as Part of Residential Rehab
- Meet the team
- Start Schema Therapy at Ocean Recovery
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What Is Schema Therapy?
Schemas are deeply held themes or patterns in our lives that we repeat again and again. They can be beliefs, expectations, how we view ourselves or others, and emotional responses.
They are usually negative or self-defeating, becoming patterns that continue to influence your behaviour even when they are no longer helpful.
How Can Schemas Affect Substance Use?
Schemas are not the sole cause of addiction, but having these repeated patterns of thinking and behaving can lead to substance abuse.
If a person expects rejection, finds trusting others hard or avoids difficult emotions, they may initially use drugs and alcohol to manage the feelings these beliefs bring. If these patterns become automatic, so can the coping method, with substances being part of the established pattern and becoming an ingrained behaviour.
How Does Schema Therapy Work?
Schema-focused therapy can help you recognise these ingrained patterns and the situations that seem to bring them up. As you become more aware of your emotional responses and how you are coping, you can begin to challenge them and adapt these patterns.
From this, you can hopefully begin to build up healthier coping strategies for when schemas are triggered.
Schema Therapy for Drug and Alcohol Addiction
Schema therapy is used for drug and alcohol addiction because it can help you identify recurring triggers and recognise the emotions that may lead to substance abuse. If you find these deep-seated beliefs, how they have impacted relationships and led you to avoid uncomfortable situations and emotions, you can begin to make changes.
Schema therapy can help you develop healthier coping strategies, supporting relapse prevention as you work to get better at regulating your emotions and improving your communication with yourself and other people.
Schema Therapy at Ocean Recovery Centre
Schema therapy is part of a range of therapies that we provide at Ocean Recovery.
Your programme will be individualised, created to suit you, and you’ll participate in therapies we believe will help you. Our treatment options combine evidence-based psychological therapies alongside practical recovery support.
Other therapies and treatments at Ocean Recovery include:
- DBT
- Trauma-informed care
- Coping skills development
- Meaningful activities
- Personalised discharge planning
There will be a regular review of your progress to ensure you are working at a pace that suits you. We’ll always keep checking in to ensure that the therapies you are doing are integrating well with one another.
Our Rehab Facilities
We’re extremely proud of our state-of-the-art recovery facilities. They provides a space for residents to have the most relaxing stay possible while still receiving the support they need.
Ocean Recovery Facilities include:
CQC Registered
FREE Transportation Included
Medically Assisted Detoxification
Comfortable Communal Lounge
Beautiful Modern Dining Lounge
External Courtyard and Outside Seating Area
12 Months FREE Aftercare
Regular Contact with Loved Ones Encouraged
Double or Single Bedrooms
Rooms with Ensuite Bathrooms
Lounge Areas with Sky TV and a Piano
Nutritious Dining Facilities and an Outdoor Courtyard
Images of Our Facilities
Give Us A Call
Speak to an advisor today to find out more about the rehabilitation programmes we offer at our drug and alcohol rehab centre
Schema Therapy Compared with CBT and DBT
When undergoing schema therapy for addiction issues, you’ll likely come across CBT and DBT too.
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) – In sessions, you’ll get a better understanding of the relationship between current thoughts and emotions and how they impact behaviours.
- Dialectical Behaviour Therapy – This therapy emphasises distress tolerance, emotional regulation, mindfulness and interpersonal effectiveness.
- Schema Therapy – You’ll focus on recognising deeply established automatic patterns and coping responses, working on healthier alternatives.
Who May Benefit from Schema Therapy?
Your suitability for schema therapy should be determined by a thorough assessment, but it may be helpful for people who:
- Engage in repeated unhealthy patterns
- Hold strong negative beliefs about themselves
- Experience persistent interpersonal difficulties
- Engage in substance use to cope with repeated emotional issues
- Find it difficult to change despite understanding the consequences
- Have entrenched coping styles such as avoidance and overcompensation
Schema Therapy and Relapse Prevention
If you get a better understanding of underlying issues, schema therapy is useful because you can start to recognise recurring patterns earlier on and what your triggers are that activate these schemas.
With recognition, you can develop healthier ways to cope, giving you the strategies to apply to situations you’ll come across after completing treatment. Having a plan will make you feel ready, supporting recovery planning and relapse prevention.
Schema Therapy as Part of Residential Rehab
Schema therapy, as stated, is just one part of your recovery journey.
At Ocean Recovery, we offer a broad and effective approach to residential addiction treatment, including:
- Medically supported detox when needed
- Weekly counselling
- Psychological interventions (CBT, DBT, schema therapy, etc.)
- Recovery support
- Connection with fellowship groups like AA and NA
- Aftercare support after leaving rehab
Meet the team
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John Gillen
DirectorEuropean Pioneer of NAD+ Therapy John has travelled extensively around…
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John Gillen
European Pioneer of NAD+ Therapy
John has travelled extensively around the world, culminating in 19 years’ experience looking at different models. He is the European pioneer of NAD+ (Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide) treatment to Europe in 2010; and recently back from the USA bringing state of the art Virtual Reality Relapse Prevention and stress reduction therapy. His passion extends to other metabolic disturbances and neurodegenerative diseases. The journey continues. In recent times, John has travelled to Russia to study and research into a new therapy photobiomudulation or systemic laser therapy working with NAD+ scientists and the very best of the medical professionals in the UK and the USA, together with Nadcell, Bionad Hospitals own select Doctors, nurses, dieticians and therapists. Johns’ passion continues to endeavour to bring to the UK and Europe new developments with NAD+ Therapy in preventive and restorative medicine and Wellness. In 2017 John Gillen was made a visiting Professor at the John Naisbitt university in Belgrade Serbia. -
Madissar Iqbal
Operations ManagerMadissar has a wealth of experience in a managerial position…
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Madissar Iqbal
Madissar has a wealth of experience in a managerial position within substance misuse for over 20 years, working with offending behaviour and criminal justice. Madissar began his career as a prison officer in 2000 and progressed further in the substance misuse field within the prison settings delivering various short duration programmes and linking prisoners to community-based treatment providers before their release. In 2006 Madissar successfully managed to set up the Drug Intervention Programme within Bedfordshire. This later transpired to successfully securing a service manager role and developing the Drug Rehabilitation Requirement Order. Madissar successfully secured various managerial positions within the substance misuse field with joint partnership working with Integrated Offender Management and police in reducing drug-related offending behaviour. Madissar gained extensive experience and expertise working for several organisations, such as Adapt, Rapt, Addaction, Westminster Drug Project, Hertfordshire Couty Council, NHS and Next Step Support. Madissar holds a diploma in level 5 Leadership and Management and has extensive experience in the senior managerial role. Madissar passion lies in supporting services to achieve their goals and objectives. In the last two years, Madissar progressed further in mental health as a senior managerial role, overseeing residential rehabilitation and supporting living accommodations with adults (18+) with a range of diverse complex needs.
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Phil Grimes
Recovery WorkerPhil is an experienced and dedicated recovery worker; he has…
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Phil Grimes
Phil is an experienced and dedicated recovery worker; he has been at Ocean Recovery since 2016. He is passionate about helping others transform their lives, having spent 25 years in addiction himself. He has been clean and living his best life since 2008. He is an experienced group facilitator and qualified life coach who uses CBT, NLP and ACT mindfulness relapse prevention techniques, all of which he is qualified in. He has a wealth of experience, having worked with young offenders, homeless, prolific offenders, and complex mental health needs. Phil thrives in the recovery environment and is a passionate, forward-thinking and realistic member of the team.
Start Schema Therapy at Ocean Recovery
At Ocean Recovery, you will participate in schema therapy as part of a wider personalised treatment plan. This plan will be designed to suit you especially, informed by a comprehensive assessment that you’ll complete before beginning treatment.
Get in touch with our admissions team now to learn more about our treatment options and take your first step towards recovery. Call us on 01253847553.
Frequently Asked Questions
Choosing the right rehab treatment provider can be a life-changing decision; here are some of the most common questions we are asked pre-admission.
What is schema therapy for addiction?
Schema therapy is a therapeutic approach that focuses on helping you recognise deeply rooted emotional patterns that affect your thoughts, feelings and behaviours and begin to change them.
What is a schema?
A schema is a long-held, recurring thought, feeling or belief built from early experiences that can influence your current behaviour.
How can schema therapy help addiction?
Schema therapy helps you discover underlying patterns that lead to substance abuse, and then you can learn healthier coping mechanisms.
Can Schema Therapy help alcohol addiction?
Yes, it can help you begin to confront deep-rooted issues that may be contributing to your drinking.
Can Schema Therapy help drug addiction?
Yes, it can help you uncover potential triggers and work on strategies to cope.
How is Schema Therapy different from CBT?
Schema therapy is focused on exploring deeper patterns, whereas CBT deals with more current thoughts and behaviours.
What is the difference between DBT and Schema Therapy?
DBT prioritise practising emotional regulation and coping skills. Schema Therapy focuses on changing underlying patterns of thoughts and behaviours.
Does Ocean Recovery offer Schema Therapy?
Yes, Ocean Recovery offers schema therapy as part of a wider personalised addiction treatment programme.
John Gillen
- Author
- Last updated: October 20, 2026
John is one UK’s leading professionals in the addiction recovery industry. Pioneering new treatment techniques such as NAD+ and ongoing research into new therapy techniques such as systematic laser therapy, John is committed to providing the very best treatment for people throughout the UK and Europe. During his extremely busy schedule, John likes to regularly update our blog section with the latest news and trends in the industry to keep visitors to our site as well informed as possible on everything related to addiction treatment.
Dr. Olalekan Otulana
- Clinical Reviewer
- Last reviewed: October 20, 2026
Dr Otulana started practising as a doctor in 2000 and has been in the field of addiction for over a decade. He is an Advanced Practitioner Member of Addiction Professionals and holds a Part 1 Certificate in Clinical Psychopharmacology from the British Association for Psychopharmacology. He is excellent healthcare service professional with a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) degree from Cambridge University Judge Business School.
Visit Dr Otulana’s Social Profiles:
https://uk.linkedin.com/in/olalekanotulana
