← Techniques

Young Schema Questionnaire (YSQ)

Young Schema Questionnaire (YSQ)
Schema Therapy (Schema)
💡 Clarification 🧠 Cognition

A standardized self-report inventory of 75–232 items in which the client rates statements on a Likert scale (1–6). Each subscale corresponds to one of the 18 early maladaptive schemas. Schemas with high scores (4+) are treated as active and become a priority in therapy. Used at the early phase for systematic case conceptualization and to track progress.

Step-by-step guide

  1. Give the client the inventory to fill in between sessions or at the start of the first session
  2. Explain: this is not a test, there are no right or wrong answers
  3. The client rates each statement from 1 (not at all like me) to 6 (completely describes me)
  4. Compute the mean score for each of the 18 schemas
  5. Discuss the results: schemas with scores of 4+ are areas of focus
  6. Use it as a starting point for conceptualization and treatment planning

When to use

  • Early phase — building the case conceptualization
  • The client struggles to put the problems into words
  • Tracking progress: comparing results before and after therapy
  • Research purposes or group work

Key phrases

I will give you an inventory that will help us understand what beliefs about yourself and the world you hold. Rate each statement: how much does it describe you?

Follow-up questions

What did you notice as you filled it in? Did anything surprise you?
Look, these three schemas scored high — let us talk about each of them.
Do you recognize yourself in these descriptions?

Alternative phrasings

Take the statement with the highest score. When did you last feel exactly that?

Warnings

  • ⚠️ With low literacy or cognitive impairment — fill in together with the therapist
  • ⚠️ Dissociation may distort the results — the client has no access to their own sensations
  • ⚠️ A high score on a schema is not a diagnosis but a hypothesis for joint investigation

Source: Young & Brown (1994, 2001)

assessment start of therapy conceptualization schemas

Similar techniques

EMDR
3-Pronged Protocol (Past-Present-Future)
3-Pronged Protocol (Past-Present-Future)
The basic frame of treatment planning in EMDR: one problem is processed across three temporal layers…
MI
A Day in the Life (Explore a Typical Day)
A Day in the Life (Explore a Typical Day)
A technique for the detailed exploration of the client's usual day, most often connected with the pr…
REBT
ABC Model / ABC Framework
ABC Model / ABC Framework
The basic conceptual map of REBT: A (activating event), B (beliefs), C (emotional and behavioral con…
CPT
ABC Worksheet
ABC Worksheet
ABC Worksheet is a CPT intervention for identifying, testing, and revising trauma-related stuck poin…
UP
ARC (Antecedent-Response-Consequence) Analysis
ARC (Antecedent-Response-Consequence) Analysis
A structured analysis of an emotional episode into trigger, response, and consequence. It is the bas…
Narrative
Absent but Implicit
Absent but Implicit
A Narrative technique for making experience, meaning and relationship more observable while preservi…
Materials are informational and educational and summarize publicly available scientific sources. They are not medical or psychological advice, are not intended for self-diagnosis or self-treatment, and do not replace consultation with a qualified professional.