Compassion Focused Therapy
Learn the essentials of Compassion Focused Therapy to transform your therapeutic practice
About The course
Start date
Immediate access
Time
8 hours | Self-directed
Who this course is for
For Mental Health Professionals, Health Professionals & Coaches
Welcome to Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT), where you can transform your therapeutic practice with the power of compassion. Gain a solid introduction to the science of compassion – the embodied human motive to be sensitive to suffering, and the courage and commitment needed to respond to it. Explore the underlying theory and concepts involved in CFT, including evolutionary science and attachment theory. Learn with two of the world’s leading CFT experts – CFT founder Paul Gilbert and innovator Dennis Tirch, in this experiential online course.
This course offers practical guidance on seamlessly incorporating CFT strategies such as compassionate mind training, compassion-focused imagery, chairwork and mindfulness, into your existing psychotherapy practice. Discover how to use compassion-focused strategies to help your clients overcome a range of issues including chronic shame, self-criticism, anxiety and trauma.
Gain exclusive access to beautiful video lessons, insightful therapy demonstrations, and practical learning materials that will deepen your ability to cultivate compassion, wisdom and courage with your clients.
Course trainers
Dennis Tirch
A guiding force in the field CBT, Dr Dennis Tirch founded the Center for Compassion Focused Therapy in the USA. He has been described as one of the country’s foremost experts on CFT and the psychology of compassion. His research is aimed at better understanding how therapies such as CBT and ACT can be strengthened by focusing on compassion. Dr Tirch is president of The Compassionate Mind Foundation USA and the author of prominent books including The Compassionate-Mind Guide to Overcoming Anxiety.
Paul Gilbert
An internationally recognized clinical psychologist, researcher and author, Professor Paul Gilbert is the founder of Compassion Focused Therapy for mood and anxiety disorders where shame and self-criticism present major difficulties. He is a professor of clinical psychology at the University of Derby, England and created the Compassionate Mind Foundation. Professor Gilbert has published over 20 books and 300 academic papers and book chapters. He is the bestselling author of Overcoming Depression and The Compassionate Mind.
What You'll learn
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Part 1: Introduction to compassion Module one: Introduction to Compassion Focused Therapy Module two: Understanding Compassion Focused Therapy Module three: The power of compassion Module four: Fears, blocks and resistance Module five: Understanding the evolution of the human mind Module six: The three circle model Module seven: Competencies | Part 2: Bringing compassion to your practice Module one: Compassionate mind training Module two: Mindfulness exercises Module three: Compassion focused imagery Module four: Multiple selves Module five: Chair work |
Part 3: Compassion focused skills and techniques Module one: Integration into other modalities Module two: Compassion focused thought record part 1 Module three: Compassion focused thought record part 2 Module four: Compassion focused thought record part 3 | Part 4: Shame and exposure with compassion Module one: Shame and self-criticism Module two: Exposure Module three: Other techniques Module four: Wrap up  |
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Course excerpts
Playlist
What people are saying about our course
As a pediatric psychologist, I work with children and teens who struggle with anxiety, trauma, and self-esteem issues. Many young clients internalize blame and are extremely self-critical—even at a young age. I wanted a way to help them develop self-compassion early on, and this course delivered exactly that.
The techniques in this course, such as compassion-focused imagery and self-soothing exercises, are highly adaptable for children and adolescents. The course also provided insights into evolutionary psychology and attachment, which helped me better understand why some children struggle with self-compassion more than others.
Since incorporating CFT techniques into my therapy sessions, I have noticed a remarkable shift in my young clients. Many are more patient with themselves, less afraid of making mistakes, and more resilient in facing challenges.
I highly recommend this course to any psychologist, counselor, or therapist working with children, teens, or families. It has completely transformed my approach to helping young people build a strong, compassionate inner voice.
As a life coach, my work focuses on helping clients build resilience, confidence, and emotional intelligence. I had heard about Compassion Focused Therapy before, but I wasn’t sure how applicable it would be in coaching settings. This course proved to be incredibly valuable.
One of the biggest challenges my clients face is self-doubt and fear of failure. Many are highly motivated individuals but struggle with an inner critic that constantly undermines their confidence. This course gave me practical techniques to help them cultivate self-compassion, which has led to tangible improvements in their mindset and productivity.
I particularly enjoyed the compassionate mind training section, which provided powerful exercises for fostering self-kindness. I now incorporate these tools in my coaching practice, and my clients have reported feeling more emotionally balanced and self-accepting.
If you’re a coach, therapist, or anyone who helps people navigate life challenges, this course is a must-have resource.
Working in community mental health, I often see clients who have extreme self-criticism due to trauma, poverty, and long-term hardship. Before this course, I struggled to help them see their own worth. Many felt undeserving of kindness, even from themselves.
The CFT course provided structured, evidence-based techniques to address these issues. The chairwork exercises and compassion-focused exposure therapy were particularly useful in helping clients reconnect with their strengths and overcome shame.
I also appreciated the real-world applications included in the course. The strategies are practical and easy to integrate into therapy sessions. Since using these techniques, I have seen profound improvements in my clients’ ability to self-soothe and regulate emotions.
This course is a game-changer for social workers, counselors, and therapists who work with vulnerable populations. Highly recommended!
As a psychiatrist, my training was mostly biological and medication-focused. While I value medication as a crucial tool in mental health treatment, I always felt something was missing in my approach to therapy. This course filled that gap beautifully.
CFT helped me understand the power of compassion in treating patients with trauma, depression, and anxiety. Many of my patients, despite receiving medication, continued to struggle with deep emotional wounds and negative self-perceptions. With CFT techniques, I can now help patients build self-compassion, which is often the missing piece in their recovery journey.
The self-paced nature of this course made it easy to fit into my schedule, and the CE credits were a great bonus. Every psychiatrist who wants to go beyond just medication management should take this course. It will revolutionize the way you think about mental health treatment.
As an LPC working with individuals experiencing depression and anxiety, I often found that traditional CBT techniques weren’t enough, especially for clients who were highly self-critical. That’s why I enrolled in the CFT course—and I’m so glad I did!
The science of compassion presented in this course was eye-opening. I had always emphasized cognitive restructuring, but I never realized how deeply embedded shame and self-judgment were in my clients. CFT gave me the tools to help clients move beyond just challenging their thoughts—to actually change the way they relate to themselves.
One of my favorite techniques from this course was compassion-focused imagery. It allows clients to visualize and embody compassion, which has been a game-changer in my sessions. The real-world demonstrations helped me immediately apply these concepts, and I started seeing results within weeks.
I would highly recommend this course to any therapist looking for a deeper, more emotionally resonant approach to therapy.
As a clinical psychologist specializing in trauma and anxiety disorders, I am always looking for effective and evidence-based approaches to help my clients. This Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) course was exactly what I needed.
Paul Gilbert and Dennis Tirch provided clear, research-backed explanations of how compassion plays a crucial role in emotional regulation and healing. The video demonstrations were incredibly helpful, showing real-life applications of compassionate mind training and imagery exercises.
One of my biggest challenges in therapy has always been working with clients who struggle with deep-seated self-criticism and shame. Before taking this course, I often found it difficult to break through their negative self-beliefs. However, after learning the CFT model, I now have a structured approach to help clients shift their perspective toward self-kindness and self-acceptance.
I have already seen noticeable improvements in my clients who have incorporated CFT-based techniques into their daily routines. Their ability to manage stress, reduce anxiety, and cultivate inner warmth has grown significantly.
This course is a must-have for anyone working in mental health. Highly recommended!
48 reviews for Compassion Focused Therapy