Schema Therapy for Relationship Difficulties an Attachment Informed Approach - LEVEL 2 Melbourne (face to face)

This workshop builds on the foundational knowledge and skills developed in the Level 1 Course, Schema Therapy for Relationship Difficulties – An Attachment-Informed Approach.
Delivered over two in-person days, the workshop combines didactic teaching with experiential dyadic learning activities. It is designed to deepen participants' understanding and application of an attachment-informed approach across all schema therapy clinical interventions.
Below are the workshop learning objectives:
Learning Objective 1. Learn how to assess a client’s attachment network in order to identify who in the client’s life fulfils their attachment needs. This assessment provides schema therapists with critical information that can be used across schema therapy techniques that are directly taught as part of this workshop.

Learning Objective 2. Learn how to tailor Limited Reparenting for complex cases involving an insecure attachment that exhibits concurrent attachment anxiety and avoidance (i.e., fearful attachment).

Learning Objective 3. Learn how to tailor cognitive techniques—such as flashcards and cognitive restructuring—for people who may differ in their presentation of anxious and avoidant attachment. For example two clients may exhibit attachment anxiety but for one client this anxiety is underpinned by a need for approval and for another it is underpinned by a preoccupation with relationships.

Learning Objective 4. Learn how to effectively integrate insights into attachment functions and the use of security priming in Imagery Rescripting to enhance the clients accessibility of positive working models of the self, others, and the world in general.

Learning Objective 5. Learn how to use the attachment facets that underpin attachment insecurity to generate tailored behavioural pattern breaking strategies for clients with different attachment styles.

About the Presenters

Gery Karantzas is a Professor in the School of Psychology, the Director of the Science of Adult Relationships (SoAR) Laboratory and Co-Director of the CONNECT Research and Training Initiative within the Centre for Social and Emotional Development (SEED-Lifespan) at Deakin University. He is also a couples therapist certified in Integrative Behavioural Couples Therapy and is the founder of Relationship Science Online. Gery is one of Australia’s leading relationship scientists specialising in adult attachment and has authored over 150 publications, with many of these appearing in top-tier journals.

Dr Rita Younan is a Clinical Psychologist with extensive experience across inpatient, outpatient, and community mental health settings. She is an Advanced Schema Therapist, Supervisor and Trainer (ISST), an EMDR Consultant-in-Training, and a qualified Psychedelic-Assisted Therapist.

Rita is the Founder and Clinical Director of the Schema Therapy Institute Australia and also serves as Director of Allied Health for national programs at a leading private psychiatric hospital. From 2020 to 2024, she served on the Executive Board of the International Society of Schema Therapy (ISST) as Training Coordinator, where she played a key role in shaping global training standards and led the production of numerous international events, workshops, and conferences.

She has published in the areas of schema therapy, trauma, and attachment, and is known for her work in the development and delivery of innovative, evidence-based psychological programs.

This workshop will be held over two days on Thursday May 14th & Friday May 15th 2026 from 9am to 5pm.

Total Cost for the workshop is $799 and includes catering.

Please note cancellations can be made up to one month prior to the workshop otherwise the cancellation is 50% of the registration fee. All cancellations incur a $50 administration fee.

LOCATION TO BE CONFIRMED