What’s the Schemata? Episode 60 — A Deep Dive Into Chair Work with Chris Hayes

Our latest episode of What’s the Schemata? is now live, and this one features Chris in a solo exploration of something that has become central to Schema Therapy practice: chair work and experiential mode work.

In the episode, Chris talks through why chair work wasn’t emphasised in the early days of Schema Therapy, how it gradually became a core part of the model, and why so many therapists find it both powerful and challenging. He reflects on his own training, the influence of Dutch researchers and practitioners, and how experiential techniques have evolved over the past twenty years.

Chris also spends time discussing those “tricky” clinical moments — the ones where chair work feels uncertain, unusual, or hard to navigate — and offers a grounded, practical sense of how he now uses it in his own sessions.

If you’re interested in strengthening your experiential confidence or understanding how chair work really fits into the broader model, this episode is a thoughtful place to start.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0mVhjlt7KldflhBWfNqRnO?si=2AUpRNacT4asFWTaIzd2aw