Getting to Know Respire: CFT

Compassion Focused Therapy or CFT is an integrative approach to therapy that holds a practice of compassion central to the healing process.

What: Developed by Dr. Paul Gilbert, CFT utilizes techniques to help clients challenge critical, negative, and unhelpful thought processes and build internal self-compassion and compassion for others while learning techniques to self-soothe integrated from CBT (check back next month for more on CBT) interventions and mindfulness practice. CFT is rooted in evolutionary psychology and neuroscience, using what we know about how our body and brain works to develop skills and promote healing.

How I use it: At Respire CFT is integrated with our Trauma Informed approach (see last month’s blog) to build safety and support clients from a welcoming, compassionate lens. CFT informed by cross-disciplinary research helps integrate and makes sense of what we know works for clients and the “Why” it works. I support clients in learning skills for self- and external compassion and self-soothing to support their goals.

Application: I find CFT particularly useful for client’s struggling with anxiety and toxic perfectionism that no longer serves their goals and well-being. Supporting clients in challenging -often long standing - beliefs and relational patterns with a compassionate lens can shift how people interact with and show up in their lives for the better. This might mean addressing burn out in the work place, conflict in relationships, chronic depression and anxiety. CFT focuses on exploring causality but just as importantly, building skills for changing the way one thinks and behaves to better align with who they are or who they want to be.

Training: I was introduced to Compassion Focused Therapy while involved with Stanford’s CCARE program (Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education) and supporting Dr. Philip Zimbardo while teaching his course for PsyD students at Palo Alto University. Dr. Gilbert was invited to provide a training that I was honored to attend. I subsequently read his book the Compassionate Mind and have sought additional training on integrating this model into my work. As a Supervisor, I support clinicians in learning this modality and integrating compassion into their approach with clients.