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Unmet Core Needs Worksheet

Rate the five childhood needs

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Schema therapy assumes five core childhood needs. A schema forms where one of them went chronically unmet. Rate how well each was met, then note who or what met it when it was met at all — roles only, no names.

Safe attachment — safety, stability, nurturance, acceptance
none
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
most
What that looked like, and who provided it (role only)
Autonomy, competence, and a sense of identity
none
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
most
What that looked like, and who provided it (role only)
Freedom to express valid needs and feelings
none
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
most
What that looked like, and who provided it (role only)
Spontaneity and play
none
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
most
What that looked like, and who provided it (role only)
Realistic limits and self-control
none
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
most
What that looked like, and who provided it (role only)
The need with the lowest score

Unmet needs do not expire. They keep asking, usually through the schema that formed around them — which is why the work is meeting the need now, not arguing with the belief.

How that unmet need still shows up in adult relationships
One way it could be met, at least partly, by an adult version of my life
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