Nadene van der Linden, Clinical Psychologist

Imagery for Assessment

Many therapists practicing schema therapy are familiar with Imagery Rescripting.
What is often lost or forgotten about in training is Imagery for Assessment. Using
imagery for assessment can give us powerful information about our client's
unmet needs and what they experienced in childhood. It can be helpful for those
clients who say everything was good or normal as the imagery assessment often
reveals examples of client's difficulties as a child that they may normalise,
invalidate or not even recognise as noteworthy for therapy.

How to use Imagery for Assessment:

In Imagery for Assessment our goal is to curiously explore our client's history. We
do not need to rescript the memory, although we may use it at a later time. We
will likely try to provide a corrective experience for the need from a limited
reparenting frame, even if that is only acknowledging our client's pain, their
feelings, providing some normative information about children and parents, or
how hard it was for them.
1. Imagine little you (client's name): what is little you feeling, what does little
you need, what do you think of little you, do you like him/her?
This is useful for understanding client's view towards their little self – often they
may say something like "she's weak, he's pathetic, he's too sensitive"

2. Imagine little you with Mum: what is Mum doing, what are you doing?
what is little you feeling?, what does little you need?

This is useful to understand how well the client's’ core emotional needs were met
by Mum, the quality of the relationship with their parent, or if there was overtly
abusive behavior.
 Nadene van der Linden, Clinical Psychologist

3. Imagine little you with Dad: what is Mum doing, what are you doing? what
is little you feeling?, what does little you need?
This is useful to understand how well the client's’ core emotional needs were met
by Mum or if there was overtly abusive behavior, the quality of the relationship
with their parent.

4. Imagine little you with peers: younger version first and then older version
of child. what are you doing? what is little you feeling?, what does little you
need?

This is useful to understand any early peer difficulties that contribute to their
schemas and view of themselves.

You can insert other relevant people/ situations related to your client's individual
situation.

Remember :
Our goal is to curiously explore our client's history. We do not need to rescript the
memory. We do provide a limited reparenting response if the client responds to
Imagery Assessment with difficult/ painful content.

If a client does not want to do imagery or later in rescripting does not want to go
into imagery or seems to be complying but doesn’t seem to want to, be curious.
Say: ok we don’t have to but what do you imagine might happen if we do? We
won't do it and we'll take our time and we'll figure this out"
 Nadene van der Linden, Clinical Psychologist

For some clients they fear you being harmed, and for others they fear you seeing
the "badness” or shamefulness of their VC and we won't like them. Depending on
what the client says we would offer a corrective reframe "oh no, I'm going to be
very strong in the image, no one can hurt me" or "there is nothing I could witness
in there about you that will make me feel anything but concern and care for you"

Based on Liz Lacy's Imagery for Assessment guidelines in "Schema Therapy For
Addictions" training and Joan Farrell and Wendy Brehary seminar on Getting Stuck
with the Vulnerable Child (February 2021)