Compassion-focused Therapy: An Introduction to Theory, Research and Practice

The importance of compassion as an antidote to human suffering is a long and venerable history with recent research evidence to support it. Originally developed to help individuals who suffer high levels of shame and self criticism, compassion-focused therapy encourages the client to employ self-soothing actions, and to generate feelings of inner warmth and self-reassurance as they engage with CBT.

Compassion-Focused Therapy: An Introduction to Theory, Research and Practice provides an explanatory introduction to compassion-focused therapy as well as an overview of the field, indicating how the approach can be used in practice. In this book Paul Gilbert covers topics such as:

• symbolic thinking and the construction of a sense of self
• compassion focused formulation
• components of compassion and the compassionate mind circle
• group therapy

This much needed accessible and knowledgeable introduction covers theory, practice and research. It is essential reading for psychotherapists, counsellors and other mental health professionals.

Paul Gilbert is Professor of Clinical Psychology, University of Derby and has been actively involved in research and treating people with shame based and mood disorders for over 25 years. He is a past President of the British Association for Cognitive and Behavioural Psychotherapy and a fellow of the British Psychological Society.