The PRISMAS Group Therapy Handbook

This handbook presents and describes how to apply the PRISMAS Group Therapy, a brief intervention that combines Affirmative and Schema Therapy for Sexual and Gender Minorities (SGM). PRISMAS is a new therapeutic intervention that builds upon the concepts of Schema Therapy to create a brief group intervention aimed at helping SGM cope with the stress and prejudice they have internalized by living in societies that stigmatize and attack the LGBTQIA+ community. This intervention manual provides a detailed breakdown of the 12 therapeutic sessions in which the intervention is organized, showing practitioners how to conduct it.

The PRISMAS Group Therapy Handbook: A Brief Intervention Integrating Affirmative and Schema Therapy for Sexual and Gender Minorities will be an invaluable resource for psychotherapists, clinical psychologists and other mental health professionals working with Sexual and Gender Minorities.

“While Schema Therapy offers a broad range of applications, there remains a gap in understanding how its principles apply to minority groups, including LGBTQIA+ individuals. Bruno’s work in this area is groundbreaking. His research on minority stress and the inner critic (oppressive sociocultural) schema mode sheds light on how societal influences shape individual experiences, schemas, and modes.” – Wendy Behary, Former President, The International Society of Schema Therapy (ISST)

“Bruno and Ana present a framework that is both sexual and gender affirming. It resonates across borders by addressing the shared experiences of minority stress, internalized oppression, and systemic barriers faced by SGM communities worldwide. By bridging societal oppression with individual healing, their approach fully leverages the integrative potential of Schema Therapy. Bruno and Ana’s work is a gift to the field of psychotherapy.” – Xi Liu, Co-Director, SchemXcollective: Integrative Schema Institute Sydney, Australia

The original manuscript of this book was written in Portuguese and translated into English with the help of artificial intelligence. A subsequent human revision was done primarily in terms of content.