Dr. Chiara Simeone DiFrancesco, Licensed Psychologist, VA & WI
Jesus-Centered Schema Therapy Institute, a div. of Connect-Talk, LLC
Chiara Simeone-DiFrancesco PhD, psychologist (Clinical & Counseling Psychology) (1990) see clients mostly on-line in her practice, Connect-Talk, LLC & Jesus-Centered Schema Therapy Institute in two states, WI & VA. Chiara is a trainer in Couples Therapy, holding Advanced & Trainer Certifications since 2008 in Individual & Couples.
Founder of the Special Interest Groups: Schema Therapy-Couples. In this, for over 10 years, clinicians gather monthly online from around the world to discuss interventions for complex relationships and couples work.
She also founded the SIG Schema Therapy-OD (Organizational Development) involving multicultural/religious/minority dialogue. Having studied under Professor Edward J. Brueggman, SJ chair of Xavier University’s Theology Department, who had a 40 year prime time TV program weekly called: Dialogue, she engaged in special studies & mentoring to develop expertise in connecting with diverse multi-cultural populations and facilitating reconciliation and understanding/acceptance.
Dr. Simeone-DiFrancesco is the originator/developer of Connect-Talk® & Needs vs. Wants. “Connect-Talk®” has been developed by her as a core competency in ST-Couples. It is her integration of Schema Therapy & Mode awareness with the intricacies of equal-to-equal positive connecting and inner and outer dialogue.
Dr. Chiara is very active in the Catholic Psychotherapy Association. She has respect for clients coming from differing religious persuasions, incorporating meaning in life and positive examples into their quest for Healthy Adult mode functioning. For Christian clients, she specializes in Jesus-Centered Schema Therapy, a Culturally Competent Therapy for Christians, which invites Jesus into the sessions through His Model, Lectio Divina with His Word and in guided imagery to provide healing, direction, formation and reconciliation. This also involves trauma work and healing of schema/lifetrap patterns. She sees the triadic integration of Spirit/Soul, mind/reason and emotions/body as promoting the most effective human flourishing. Besides seeing individual clients, she has a special focus on couples marital healing and trauma affecting couples.
Her Simeone-DiFrancesco Schema Therapy International Training Center with Couples trains and certifies therapists in a number of venues: CULTURALLY COMPETENT SCHEMA THERAPY WITH COUPLES FOR CHRISTIANS; JESUS-CENTERED TRAINING FOR THERAPISTS, & SCRIPTURAL PASTORAL FOUNDATIONS.
She is the first author of “Schema Therapy with Couples: A Practitioner's Guide to Healing Relationships” published in 2015 by Wiley & Sons for which the CPA granted the Pope St. John Paul II Award for Science and Research. “We recognize this book has made a laudable effort to narrow the gap between research and practice for Catholic clinicians and we would like to highlight the novelty and innovation displayed in this body of work.” (Jessica Barboza, Catholic Psychotherapy Association Scholarships and Awards Task Force).
In another area of focus, Dr. Simeone-DiFrancesco is the CEO of Jesus-Centered Institute, LLC & Dialog International Press, LLC, where she is very involved in the production of Catholic spiritual podcasts, evangelizing materials and videos, and the publication of books.
Lastly, she is the organizer of a developing non-profit whose goal is to provide training funds to assist Christian therapists in Jesus-Centering. She welcomes collaborators in this endeavor.
