Understanding and changing how we see ourselves

May 9, 2023 New neurocognitive model for understanding - and changing - how we see ourselves and the world could improve therapies for treating mental health By Elizabeth Rogers and Zoe Tipper Faculty of Arts Throughout our lives, our experiences shape how we view ourselves and the world around us. These views, known in psychology as schemas, can negatively impact our mental health and be difficult to change. Now, a new model of how we understand these schemas opens doors to new and innovative therapies in mental health treatment. This model of schema change was developed by Dr. David Moscovitch, professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Waterloo. and outlines how schemas get updated in the brain by integrating evidence-based findings from the fields of clinical psychology and cognitive neuroscience. As a faculty member and clinical psychologist with the Centre for Mental Health Research and Treatment , Moscovitch's research involves working directly with people who are struggling with their mental health and developing evidence-based psychological treatments to improve their quality of life. His long-time collaborator - and father - Dr. Morris Moscovitch is a renowned expert in memory and professor emeritus in neuropsychology at the University of Toronto.