Truus Kersten (Phd) works as a Psychotherapist at de Rooyse Wissel Forensic Psychiatric Center, a High Security Hospital in Venray (the Netherlands). Furthermore she works as a self-employed Consultant, is Supervisor and Trainer in Schema Therapy (ISST) and in Cognitive Behavior Therapy. She is certified Supervisor and Trainer of the International Society of Schema Therapy (ISST) and of the Dutch Cognitive Behavior Association. She is also EMDR Europe Practitioner .

She is trained in Schema Therapy since 2004 by Hannie van Genderen, Marjon Nadort, Jeff Young and David Bernstein. She participated as a Schema Therapist in the randomized clinical trial of Schema Therapy for forensic patients that is conducted by David Bernstein.

Together with David she developed an 8-day Schema Therapy Training Program for Psychologists working in Addiction and Forensic Care in the Netherlands. She is the leading teacher of this national training program, in which David also participates as coteacher. Truus gave several international workshops on ST with forensic and addicted patients, mostly in the UK, organized by Vartouhi Ohanian, Schema Therapy UK, and in Bali and Australia, organized by Chris Hayes. These workshops were mainly focused on working with aggression or forensic modes and working with personality disorders and comorbid addiction. She has developed an integrated treatment for patients with personality disorders and addiction, based on the Schema Mode model.

Besides Truus has extensive experience in implementing ST in (forensic) psychiatric clinics. As project leader she developed ST guidelines and protocols and implemented these on the psychiatric wards. She also trained and coached the psychiatric nurses in working with modes on the wards.

Her special interest and expertise is in treating psychopathic and addicted patients with Schema Therapy. Truus is co-author of the forthcoming book “Treating aggression, addiction and personality disorders: a schema–focused approach to complex, antisocial patients” (Bernstein and Kersten, 2022-2023).

International publications on Schematherapy

Bernstein, D.P., Keulen-de Vos, M., Clercx, M., de Vogel, V., Kersten, G.C.M., Lancel, M.,Jonkers, P., Bogaerts, S., Slaats, M., Broers, N., Deenen, T. & Arntz, A. (2021). Schema therapy for violent PD offenders: a randomized clinical trial. Psychological Medicine 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1017/

Chakhssi, F., Kersten, T., de Ruiter, C., & Bernstein, D. P. (2014, March 31). Treating the Untreatable: A Single Case Study of a Psychopathic Inpatient Treated With Schema Therapy. Psychotherapy. Advance online publication. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0035773

Kersten, T. (2012). Schema Therapy in personality disorders and addiction. In: Van Vreeswijk, M., Broersen, J. & Nadort, M. (eds). The Wiley-Blackwell Handbook of Schema Therapy. Theory, research, and practice. Malden: Wiley-Blackwell. Page 415 – 424.

Kersten, T., & van de Vis, L. (2012). Implementation of Schema Therapy in de Rooyse Wissel Forensic Psychiatric Center. In: Van Vreeswijk, M., Broersen, J. & Nadort, M. (eds). The Wiley-Blackwell Handbook of Schema Therapy. Theory, research, and practice. Malden: Wiley-Blackwell. Page 579-584.

International presentations and workshops on Schematherapy

Schema Focused Therapy and dual diagnosis, CSIP, Cambridge, UK, febr 2008.

Treatment of psychopathic patients with SFT, IAFMHS, Edinburgh, UK, june 2009.

Schema Therapy for forensic patients, one-day workshop, London, UK, febr 2012.

Schema Therapy of a psychopathic patient: a single case study, IAFMHS, Maastricht, june 2013.

New developments in Schema Therapy: Schema mode work with antisocial patients with aggression and addiction problems, two-day workshop ‘Schema Therapy UK’, London, UK, sept 2013;  three-day workshop in nov 2013 and march 2014.

Schematherapy in Personality disorders and Addiction”, workshop ISST congress, Istanbul, 2014.

Experiential and behavioral change techniques for substance abuse and other ‘addictive’ behaviors, one-day workshop, Ubud, Bali, june 2015.

Though cases using Schema Therapy; treating violent, addicted and unmotivated patients; two-day workshop, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, Australia, june-july 2015.

Cluster C: From addiction to connection. Working with the self-soother of self-stimulator in Cluster C-patients: the ‘hidden-addiction mode’, workshop with Guido Sijbers, ISST congress Vienna, july 2016.