ABSTRACT
Empathic confrontation, along with limited reparenting, is one of the two central ``pillars'' of the Schema Therapy treatment approach (Young et al., 2003). In empathic confrontation, the therapist confronts the patient on his maladaptive behaviors and cognitions, but in an empathic, non-judgmental way. This technique only works if the therapist has genuine compassion for the patient. That is, he is able to empathize with the reasons for which the patient engages in these behaviors, but at the same time emphasizes the self-defeating nature of these responses and the necessity of changing them. The Schema Therapy language of schemas, coping responses, and modes facilitates empathic confrontation by giving the therapist and patient a common set of concepts and vocabulary with which to understand the patient's maladaptive attempts at coping. These concepts are morally and emotionally neutral, in that they view maladaptive behavior as a consequence of self-defeating patterns rather than as stemming from moral ¯aws.
