Free Therapist Training›Schema Therapy Toolkit›Session Note and Goals
Last updated: November 11, 2026
Schema therapy treatment goals turn a case conceptualization into targets that can be tracked. Each goal names a mode or an unmet need, a change that client and therapist can both observe, and a way to measure it. Together the goals follow the model's own logic: strengthen the Healthy Adult, meet the Vulnerable Child's needs, limit the critic modes (the Demanding Critic, or Demanding Parent, and the Punitive Critic, or Punitive Parent), and loosen the coping modes that keep feelings and needs out of reach.
The template from the free schema therapy toolkit pairs a treatment goals table with a session note that records schemas, modes, interventions and progress on each goal. A completed example shows both parts filled in for an invented client, and a table of example goals for each mode, from the Vulnerable Child to the Happy Child, gives a starting point for writing goals of your own.
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What Goes in a Schema Therapy Treatment Plan and Session Note?
Part 1 holds the treatment goals, one row for each goal area from the Healthy Adult to symptoms and functioning, each with a measurable objective, a measure, a target date and a running record of progress. Number the goals, because Part 2, the session note, refers to them by number when it records what each session addressed.
Part 1. Treatment goals
| Goal area | Goal | Measurable objective | Measure | Target date | Progress |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Healthy Adult | |||||
| Vulnerable Child's needs | |||||
| Critic modes | |||||
| Coping modes | |||||
| Behavioral pattern-breaking | |||||
| Symptoms and functioning |
Part 2. Session note
| Field | Entry |
|---|---|
| Client code, date, session number | |
| Phase of therapy | Assessment and education / Change |
| Format | Individual / Group / Couple; In person / Video |
| Since the last session | |
| Risk and safety | Issues raised, actions agreed, follow-up date |
| Schemas activated | |
| Modes observed in session, and shifts between them | |
| Therapy relationship | Limited reparenting; empathic confrontation; repairs |
| Interventions | Cognitive / Imagery rescripting / Chair work / Behavioral pattern-breaking / Other: |
| Client's response | |
| Homework reviewed and assigned | |
| Goals addressed (goal numbers) and progress | |
| Measures given, with scores | |
| Plan for the next session | |
| Clinician signature and date |
Identify the client by code or initials, and record what was done and what changed, as you would in any clinical record.
What Do Completed Schema Therapy Goals and a Session Note Look Like?
Lena, the invented client used throughout the toolkit, is a 36-year-old accountant who came to therapy for low mood and exhaustion after a year of fourteen-hour workdays. Her plan turns her own three goals, "Stop the judge running my life," "Let Sam in" and "Leave work at a normal time," into goals for her modes, and the note records session 14, in the change phase, when her therapist used chair work with "the judge." All details are invented.
Part 1. Treatment goals
| Goal area | Goal | Measurable objective | Measure | Target date | Progress |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Healthy Adult | 1. Notice "the coach," "the judge" and "autopilot" as they start, and answer them with the kindness she shows her friends | Names the mode and writes a Healthy Adult reply in at least 3 of 4 weekly mode log entries | Mode log, reviewed each session; Healthy Adult scale of the Schema Mode Inventory (SMI) at assessment (session 3) and at sessions 20 and 40 | Session 30 review | Session 14: 2 of 4 entries this week |
| Vulnerable Child's needs | 2. "Let Sam in": let "little Lena" be seen and comforted, in therapy and at home | Tells Sam one feeling, without saying "fine," on at least 3 evenings a week | Weekly count in the mode log; her 0 to 10 rating of feeling close to Sam | Session 30 review | Session 14: 2 evenings this week (none at intake); closeness 5 (2 at intake) |
| Critic modes | 3. "Stop the judge running my life": limit the Punitive Critic and bring the Demanding Critic's standards down to realistic ones | Belief in "I'm useless" after a mistake falls from 9 to 4 or lower (0 to 10) | Belief rating in the log and in session; SMI Punitive Parent and Demanding Parent scales | Session 30 review | Session 14: 6 after a report error this week (9 at intake) |
| Coping modes | 4. Loosen "autopilot" and "yes-Lena" so her feelings and needs can come through | Stays with sadness for 10 minutes in session without going on "autopilot"; declines 1 request a week that is not her job | Clinician's estimate of minutes; weekly count of requests declined; SMI Detached Protector and Compliant Surrender scales | Session 30 review | Session 14: about 5 minutes (under 1 at intake); 1 request declined this week |
| Behavioral pattern-breaking | 5. "Leave work at a normal time" | Leaves by 6 p.m. on at least 4 of 5 workdays, 4 weeks in a row | Weekly count from her work calendar | Session 24 review | Session 14: 3 of 5 days this week (none at intake) |
| Symptoms and functioning | 6. Less low mood and exhaustion, and time again for hiking and singing in the car | Mood score lower than at intake at each review; a hike or another plan she enjoys on 3 weekends a month | The clinic's standard symptom measure at intake and every 12 sessions; weekend plans counted in the log | Session 36 review | Session 12: mood score lower than at intake; 1 hike in the past month |
Part 2. Session note
| Field | Entry |
|---|---|
| Client code, date, session number | L.; therapy week 16; session 14 |
| Phase of therapy | Change |
| Format | Individual; in person |
| Since the last session | A colleague found an error in her quarterly report on Monday; "the judge" called her useless, and she stayed until 11 p.m. redoing it. Left by 6 p.m. on 3 of 5 days. Told Sam she felt "flat" on 2 evenings. |
| Risk and safety | Asked directly: no thoughts of self-harm or suicide; no other risks raised. No actions needed; routine check at the next session. |
| Schemas activated | Unrelenting Standards/Hypercriticalness and Punitiveness, set off by the report error; Emotional Deprivation, working alone late that night |
| Modes observed in session, and shifts between them | Opened in "yes-Lena," apologizing for being two minutes late. As she described the error, "the judge" took over, and when sadness came up she went on "autopilot" (flat voice, talk of deadlines). After the chair work, "little Lena" came through briefly, tearful and lonely. Healthy Adult while planning the week. |
| Therapy relationship | Limited reparenting: said the error did not change how the therapist sees her, and stayed with her sadness. Empathic confrontation: named that "autopilot" helped her cope as a child and now keeps Sam out. Repair: she apologized for crying, and the therapist said her tears were welcome. |
| Interventions | Chair work, critic dialogue: the therapist confronted "the judge" while she watched, then she answered it from the Healthy Adult chair with coaching, and the work ended with care for "little Lena." Behavioral pattern-breaking: reviewed leaving work on time and planned the week. |
| Client's response | Hesitant at first; with coaching, told "the judge" to stop and to leave "little Lena" alone, and said it sounded smaller from the other chair. Tired but calm at the close. |
| Homework reviewed and assigned | Reviewed: mode log (2 of 4 entries with a Healthy Adult reply) and leaving by 6 p.m. (3 of 5 days). Assigned: read her flashcard when "the judge" starts after a mistake; leave by 6 p.m. on 4 days; tell Sam one feeling on 3 evenings. |
| Goals addressed (goal numbers) and progress | Goals 1 to 5. Goal 3: belief after a mistake 6 this week, 9 at intake. Goal 4: stayed with sadness for about 5 minutes. Goal 5: 3 of 5 days, up from none. Goals 1 and 2: early gains, as recorded in Part 1. |
| Measures given, with scores | In session: distress 8 before the chair work and 4 after; belief in "I'm useless" 7 before and 4 after (0 to 10). From the log: belief 6 after the report error, closeness to Sam 5. SMI due at session 20. |
| Plan for the next session | Review the log and her use of the flashcard. If "the judge" is active, repeat the critic dialogue with her Healthy Adult leading; if not, a second imagery rescripting session with "little Lena," the therapist rescripting, once she agrees. |
| Clinician signature and date | J.K., trainee clinician, signed the day of the session; co-signed by M.S., supervisor |
How Are Schema Therapy Goals Framed?
Schema therapy goals are framed around the client's unmet core emotional needs and the modes that keep them unmet. Most goals strengthen the Healthy Adult, meet the Vulnerable Child's needs, limit the critic modes or loosen the coping modes, and behavioral pattern-breaking carries each change into daily life. The needs are the five that Young et al. (2003) describe, from secure attachment to realistic limits and self-control, and the case conceptualization shows which went unmet.
Limited reparenting, which Rafaeli et al. (2011) describe as meeting needs within bounds, begins this work in the therapy itself: the therapist partly provides what the client missed in childhood and builds a secure attachment that the client's Healthy Adult gradually takes over (Lockwood, 2008). Goals also shift with the phase of therapy. Young et al. (2003) set out two phases, assessment and education followed by change, and Brockman et al. (2023) elaborate them into six flexible phases: Assessment and Education, Safety and Bonding, Schema/Mode Awareness, Schema/Mode Management, Schema/Mode Healing, and Autonomy. Early goals tend to concern awareness of modes and their triggers, and later goals the modes themselves.
What Are Examples of Schema Therapy Goals for Each Mode?
Each mode suggests its own kind of goal: the child modes need care, safe expression and room to play, the critic modes need limits, the coping modes need loosening, and the Healthy Adult needs strengthening.
| Mode | Example goal | Example measurable objective | Example measure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vulnerable Child | Get comfort and acceptance, in therapy and then from close others | Shares a feeling or need with a trusted person on 3 days a week | Weekly count; 0 to 10 rating of feeling cared for; SMI Vulnerable Child scale |
| Angry Child | Put anger about unmet needs into words that get the need heard | Names the anger and asks for what is needed in 2 of 3 logged conflicts | Count of outbursts; SMI Angry Child scale |
| Demanding Critic (Demanding Parent) | Replace "never enough" standards with realistic ones the client chooses | Keeps routine tasks to an agreed time on 4 of 5 workdays | Frequency count; 0 to 10 rating of pressure; SMI Demanding Parent scale |
| Punitive Critic (Punitive Parent) | Limit the punitive voice and meet mistakes with self-compassion | Belief in the critic's message after a mistake falls from 8 to 3 (0 to 10) | Weekly belief rating; SMI Punitive Parent scale |
| Detached Protector | Stay present with feelings, in session and with close others | Stays with a painful feeling for 10 minutes in session | Clinician's estimate of minutes; SMI Detached Protector scale |
| Compliant Surrenderer | Voice preferences and needs in close relationships | Declines or negotiates 1 unwanted request a week | Weekly count; SMI Compliant Surrender scale |
| Overcompensating modes (Self-Aggrandizer, Bully and Attack) | Meet needs such as respect without dominating others | Belittling or intimidating others falls from weekly to monthly or less | Frequency count; SMI Self-Aggrandizer and Bully and Attack scales |
| Healthy Adult | Catch modes early and respond with care, limits and sound judgment | Writes a Healthy Adult reply in 3 of 4 weekly mode log entries | Mode log; SMI Healthy Adult scale |
| Happy Child (Contented Child) | Make regular room for play, fun and spontaneity | Does something enjoyable, freely chosen, on 3 days a week | Activity count; 0 to 10 enjoyment rating; SMI Happy Child scale |
| Behavioral pattern-breaking | Replace a schema-driven behavior, such as overworking, with a healthier one | Does the new behavior on 4 of 5 days, 4 weeks running | Frequency count; a symptom or functioning measure at reviews |
The numbers in these examples are illustrations; real targets start from each client's own baseline, and none of the figures is a norm or a cut-off. The short Schema Mode Inventory measures fourteen modes, including every mode in the table (Lobbestael et al., 2010), and clinicians obtain the current version from the Schema Therapy Institute.
How Do You Write a Measurable Schema Therapy Goal?
A measurable goal starts in the client's own words, names the mode or need it serves, and sets an objective that says what will change, by how much, by when and how you will know. Lena's "Leave work at a normal time" becomes a behavioral pattern-breaking goal: leaving by 6 p.m. on four of five workdays, counted each week from her calendar. Goals written in the client's own mode names stay tied to the case conceptualization, which schema therapists share with clients in names that mean something to them (Edwards, 2022).
Record a baseline before the change work begins. Pair a measure that moves from week to week, such as a frequency count or a 0 to 10 rating, with one repeated at reviews, such as a symptom measure or the Schema Mode Inventory, and revise the goals with the client when the conceptualization changes.
What Does a Schema Therapy Session Note Record?
A schema therapy session note records what any clinical note records, including risk, interventions, the client's response and the plan, and adds the schemas and modes that were active and the goals the session served. Because therapists track mode sequences, such as the Vulnerable Child and a parent (critic) mode followed by a coping mode (Edwards, 2022), the modes row records the shifts between modes.
The therapy relationship row covers limited reparenting, empathic confrontation and repairs. In empathic confrontation the therapist names and challenges schema-driven or coping-mode behavior while showing understanding of why it developed, so the client can see its costs without feeling judged (Rafaeli et al., 2011). Young et al. (2003) group the change techniques into cognitive, experiential and behavioral pattern-breaking strategies alongside the therapy relationship, and the interventions row splits the experiential family into imagery rescripting and chair work.
Keep reading
Schema Therapy Case Conceptualization Form, where the goals come from
Schema Modes List and Mode Map Worksheet, the modes each goal targets, in the client's own names
Schema Therapy Measures Guide, what the Schema Mode Inventory and the other questionnaires measure, and how clinicians obtain them
Case Formulation and Treatment Planning, Alexandre Vaz's free webinar on building a case formulation and turning it into a treatment plan
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the goals of schema therapy?
Schema therapy aims to help clients get their core emotional needs met, the needs that went unmet early in life and left schemas behind. In practice its goals strengthen the Healthy Adult, meet the Vulnerable Child's needs, limit the critic modes and loosen the coping modes, while behavioral pattern-breaking replaces schema-driven habits with healthier ones. Each client's goals are written in the terms of their own case conceptualization, often in the names they use for their modes.
How long does schema therapy take?
Schema therapy has no single standard length, and each randomized trial set its own. Giesen-Bloo et al. (2006) provided three years of twice-weekly sessions for borderline personality disorder, Bamelis et al. (2014) provided 50 sessions for cluster C, paranoid, histrionic or narcissistic personality disorders, and Arntz et al. (2022) compared predominantly group and combined individual and group formats over two years. Those are the lengths the trials tested; one client's plan depends on the problems, the goals and progress at each review.
How do you measure progress in schema therapy?
Use measures that move at different speeds. Frequency counts show whether a target behavior is changing, and 0 to 10 client ratings track experiences such as belief in the critic's message from week to week. A standardized symptom measure follows the presenting problem at each review, and repeating the Schema Mode Inventory at set points can show whether the targeted modes are shifting. The schema therapy measures guide explains how clinicians obtain the SMI.
Can this session note be used for insurance or agency records?
It can serve as a starting point. The note covers what clinical records commonly include: the client's code, risk and safety, the interventions, the client's response, progress toward measurable goals and the plan. Employers and payers set their own documentation requirements, so check the note against them and add whatever they require before using it as the official record. The template is free to adapt to any record system.
References
Arntz, A., Jacob, G. A., Lee, C. W., Brand-de Wilde, O. M., Fassbinder, E., Harper, R. P., Lavender, A., Lockwood, G., Malogiannis, I. A., Ruths, F. A., Schweiger, U., Shaw, I. A., Zarbock, G., & Farrell, J. M. (2022). Effectiveness of predominantly group schema therapy and combined individual and group schema therapy for borderline personality disorder: A randomized clinical trial. JAMA Psychiatry, 79(4), 287–299. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2022.0010
Bamelis, L. L. M., Evers, S. M. A. A., Spinhoven, P., & Arntz, A. (2014). Results of a multicenter randomized controlled trial of the clinical effectiveness of schema therapy for personality disorders. American Journal of Psychiatry, 171(3), 305–322. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2013.12040518
Brockman, R. N., Simpson, S., Hayes, C., van der Wijngaart, R., & Smout, M. (2023). Cambridge guide to schema therapy. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108918145
Edwards, D. J. A. (2022). Using schema modes for case conceptualization in schema therapy: An applied clinical approach. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, Article 763670. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.763670
Giesen-Bloo, J., van Dyck, R., Spinhoven, P., van Tilburg, W., Dirksen, C., van Asselt, T., Kremers, I., Nadort, M., & Arntz, A. (2006). Outpatient psychotherapy for borderline personality disorder: Randomized trial of schema-focused therapy vs transference-focused psychotherapy. Archives of General Psychiatry, 63(6), 649–658. https://doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.63.6.649
Lobbestael, J., van Vreeswijk, M., Spinhoven, P., Schouten, E., & Arntz, A. (2010). Reliability and validity of the short Schema Mode Inventory (SMI). Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 38(4), 437–458. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1352465810000226
Lockwood, G. (2008, December 27). Limited reparenting. International Society of Schema Therapy. https://schematherapysociety.org/Limited-Reparenting
Rafaeli, E., Bernstein, D. P., & Young, J. (2011). Schema therapy: Distinctive features. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203841709
Young, J. E., Klosko, J. S., & Weishaar, M. E. (2003). Schema therapy: A practitioner's guide. Guilford Press.
