Group-based Compassion Focussed Psychotherapy - version 1

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  An Evaluation of Compassion Focussed Group Psychotherapy

• IRAS ID

  160319

• Contact name

  Chris Jones

• Contact email

  c.a.jones@bham.uk

• Duration of Study in the UK

  4 years, 9 months, 3 days

• Research summary

  The experience of shame and self-criticism are known to be common features for various mental health difficulties (Matos & Pinto-Gouveia, 2010). CFT was developed by Professor Paul Gilbert to target shame and self-criticism (Gilbert 2009). Compassion Focussed Therapy (CFT) posits that some mental health difficulties arise because affect regulation systems become imbalanced. CFT is designed to help those who have high levels of shame and self-criticism to develop capacity for experiencing inner warmth, safeness and soothing through cultivating compassion for self and others (Gilbert, 2009). There is limited, but growing evidence of the effectiveness of group-based CFT in various settings (Lucre et al. 2012, Judge et al. 2012)

  This research project aims to examine the extent to which a CFT group work program reduces the experience of shame and internal critical self to self relating, through the exploration
  in patients with complex needs and relational difficulties. This study is a quasi – experimental non-randomised within subject controlled design with a qualitative component and is designed to estimate efficacy of group-based CFT, and also to compare group of different duration. These two groups will also have key differences in their components, 12 week psycho-education and 40 weeks exploratory psychotherapy.

  Participants will be recruited utilising one screening form, the Self Attacking/Self Reassuring Scale. The impact of the group therapy on quality of life, levels of self-criticism, experience of shame and general symptoms of anxiety, stress and depression will be assessed within groups. This study will provide meaningful output concerning the clinical use of group-based CFT as a trans-diagnostic group based treatment.

• REC name

  West Midlands - Black Country Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  15/WM/0387

• Date of REC Opinion

  6 Nov 2015

• REC opinion

  Favourable Opinion