The Compassionate Mind Foundation

Home
United Kingdom
Derby
The Compassionate Mind Foundation

Call Directions Website Contact the organisation

Set up in 2006, the Compassionate Mind Foundation aims to promote wellbeing through the scientific understanding and application of compassion.

28/10/2026

🩺We will be exhibiting at Nursing Live at the NEC in Birmingham 9-10 November and we'd love to see you there!

It’s a free event for everyone within the nursing profession - whether you’re a student, a senior leader or anywhere in between.

You’ll have the opportunity to discover the latest updates on clinical practice, learn new skills and gain CPD hours, focus on your own well-being, explore the latest medical devices and innovations, as well as hear about evidence-based research.

We’re delighted to also announce that Dr Wendy Wood, our Programme Leader and Training Advisor will be delivering a talk on Cultivating the Compassionate Mind: Science and Strategies for Personal and Professional Life.

The session will explore Professor Paul Gilbert’s biopsychosocial model of compassion and how it can be applied to enhance wellbeing, resilience, and relationships in both personal and professional contexts.

You can attend Wendy’s talk in the Compassion Café at 12.25pm on Tuesday 10th November and you’ll also find us on stand 82 on both days.

If you’re attending the event, come and have a chat and find out more about Compassion Focused Therapy and Compassionate Mind Training and how compassion can help transform people and organisations.

Let us know in the comments if you’ll be attending 👇

26/10/2026

“I see colours now. I love colour… I couldn’t see those colours when I was depressed”

We were honoured to be able to share a very special and powerful conversation at the 15th International CFT Conference, between Professor Paul Gilbert OBE and Jan, one of his early clients. Jan began working with Paul in the late 1990s, after many years of depression and struggling with intense self-criticism.

Jan shared how learning to develop self-compassion could often feel unfamiliar and frightening, requiring time, patience and a safe therapeutic relationship. She also offered practical insights for therapists, including the importance of adapting compassionate imagery to each individual and considering how changes to the therapy environment might help clients feel safer.

Through Jan’s experiences, Paul reflected on how much he learned about the complexity of compassion: how difficult it can be to access, how frightening it may feel at first, and how important it is for therapists to remain curious, patient and willing to find different ways forward.

Jan also shared how, over time, she began to experience life differently — rediscovering colour, enjoyment and a sense of freedom that had felt out of reach during depression.

Their reflections offered a powerful reminder that compassion takes courage, time and connection.

We are so grateful to Jan for being part of our conference; for her courage, her wisdom and her honesty, which have been inspiring CFT practitioners for many years, and will continue to do so for many years to come.

24/10/2026

Do you work with neurodivergent children, young people or their families?

Learn about how CFT can support neurodivergent young people, their families, and the wider systems around them in our upcoming workshop:

CFT for Children and Families: Adapting for Neurodivergent Young People

You'll learn about:
✨ The foundations of compassionate parenting and how to tailor these for neurodivergent children
✨ Formulation skills to help develop a shared understanding of the reasons behind a young person’s difficulties
✨ The EASE Model of compassionate parenting for both parents and neurodivergent young people
✨ Compassionate approaches for the wider system

📆 Wed 11 Nov, 09.30 – 15.00
📍Online I 🕙5.5 CPD hours I 🗣️Dr Jen Swanston & Dr Katherine Hodson 💳 £120

Gain confidence in adapting compassionate approaches to better understand and meet the needs of children and young people who are neurodivergent.

Find out more or book your place - https://www.compassionatemind.co.uk/workshops/cft-for-children-families-adapting-for-neurodivergent-young-people?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social_fb_organic&utm_campaign=nd_yp_nov_26

23/10/2026

💫Conference Day 3 – that’s a wrap! 💫

We can't believe we're a week on from the conference and we still have so many great insights to share with you from our wonderful speakers! Here's a round-up of day 3

Dr Wendy Wood delivered a Breath Body Mind practice to help get us geared up for Day 3, and who wouldn’t enjoy starting the day with a bit of Shakira?

Our symposium on Compassion Focused Communities featured talks from:
Dr Gustavo Silva Giovannetti discussed the implementation of CFT training in Brazil
DrZaynab Al-Khoee, Emily Nickerson and Che Moore shared insights from their CFT groups with the Grenfell-Impacted Community
Dr Marti Balaam explored The Global Compassion and Empathy Initiative

Prof Allison Kelly delivered a keynote on Caring Minds in Competitive Worlds: How Social Context Shapes Access to Self-Compassion

Our final symposium explored Compassion and Social Relationship:

Dr Michael Yates gave insights into an exploratory study on Compassion Focused Group Intervention for Compulsive Sexual Behaviours
Dr Catrin Williams discussed the Fears, Blocks and Resistances of Working With Compassion in Forensic Services
Dr Susie Ackner challenged the way acute and urgent mental health services respond to distress, asking whether systems can keep repeating the same approaches while expecting different results
Davey Erekson & Derek Griner shared their experience of delivering compassionate living training to undergraduate students

Prof Darcy Harris presented a keynote on Compassionately Responding to Political Grief

Finally, Dr Wendy Wood announced our poster presentation prize winners and Prof Paul Gilbert OBE delivered a closing address - marking the end of this year’s Conference!

We had a wonderful few days of learning and networking with you all. Thank you to all our fantastic speakers and everyone who attended in-person and online.

Let us know if you’ve enjoyed this year’s Conference using

20/10/2026

There’s still time to join our upcoming workshop - Applying Compassion Focused Therapy to Work with Shame

Discover a compassionate roadmap for working with shame and shame memories through developing, practising and embodying the compassionate self, using a combination of knowledge sharing, discussion and experiential exercises.

💡 What you’ll gain:

➡️ An understanding of shame in light of the evolutionary biopsychosocial CFT model
➡️ Tools to distinguish shame from guilt and humiliation
➡️ Insight into the impact of shame experiences and memories on psychological functioning, mental health and wellbeing
➡️ Skills to assess and explore shame and shame memories in clinical settings
➡️ CFT practices including imagery, embodiment and behavioural techniques
➡️ Guidance on cultivating the compassionate self to work with shame and shame memories

📆 Fri 13 Nov, 09.30 – 16.30
📍Online I ⬆️Intermediate I 🗣️Dr Marcela Matos I 💳 £135

Book now 👉 https://www.compassionatemind.co.uk/workshops/online-applying-compassion-focused-therapy-to-work-with-shame?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social_fb_organic&utm_campaign=shame_nov_26

15/10/2026

Dr Olga Maria Klimecki delivered a conference keynote exploring how compassion-based interventions can shape brain function, emotional wellbeing and our behaviour towards others.

Drawing on research into compassion and mindfulness training, Olga explored how compassion practice can increase positive emotions, strengthen compassionate responses and encourage helping behaviour.

She also shared findings from the European Medit-Ageing project, examining how meditation-based interventions could support healthy ageing. Studies highlighted potential benefits for anxiety, cognitive function, self-compassion and social connection, while also demonstrating that outcomes can vary between individuals and interventions.

Finally, Olga explored the potential of compassion meditation to support conflict resolution. Research involving interpersonal and couple conflicts suggested that compassion training could help people approach disagreements more constructively, with greater compassion and satisfaction in how conflicts were discussed.

15/10/2026

Our third symposium yesterday brought together another fascinating set of presentations, focusing on Compassion and the Mind, chaired by Dr Chris Irons.

Dr Chia-Ying Chou shared research exploring Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) for hoarding disorder. Findings from two studies suggested that CFT was associated with reductions in hoarding symptoms, shame and self-criticism, highlighting its potential as both a follow-up to CBT and a standalone treatment.

Melissa Hoban explored how CFT could help people experiencing homelessness, addiction and mental health difficulties feel safer in relationships and access support. Her presentation highlighted how traditional services can create barriers to care, while accessible, flexible and non-judgemental approaches can help foster trust, connection and engagement.

Monica Grove presented ongoing research exploring how our social networks influence self-compassion. Preliminary findings suggested that self-compassion can vary across different relationships, highlighting the importance of considering how the people around us may support or challenge our ability to cultivate self-compassion.

Thank you to all speakers for sharing their work.

15/10/2026

Chairing our second symposium of the 15th International CFT Conference yesterday was Prof Gary O’Reilly, who introduced three presentations exploring how compassion-focused approaches can support people experiencing eating disorders, complex trauma and psychosis.

Conal Twomey shared clinical reflections and findings from a CFT group within an eating disorder day hospital programme, which highlighted the value of exploring eating disorders openly and understanding participant's inner critic through a compassionate, de-shaming lens.

Dr Emma Maloney explored the experiences of significant others supporting people receiving intervention for complex trauma, which highlighted the practical and emotional demands of providing support, alongside the positive changes that greater understanding and communication can bring as well as the benefits for services to recognise and support significant others.

Professor Gary O’ Reilly presented research into service user and clinician experiences of a CFT group for psychosis, sharing that participants described how CFT offered a new way to understand distressing experiences, with formulation helping connect compassion-focused concepts to personal histories and new ways of responding to difficulties. The findings also highlighted the importance of building safety, adapting to individual readiness and allowing time for the process.

14/10/2026

Assistant Professor Sarah Foster delivered the first keynote of day two of the 15th International CFT Conference, ‘Attachment Theory and Compassion Focused Therapy: Opportunities, Threats and the Case for Critical Engagement’.

Drawing on their collaborative research with Professor Robbie Duschinsky, Sarah explored how attachment theory could help us better understand the experiences and behaviours of clients, including the fears, blocks and resistances that may emerge in therapy and highlighted the importance of engaging with research and remaining curious about the individual experiences and relationships that shape each person.

14/10/2026

🚨 Re-cap - Day 1 of the Compassion Focused Therapy Conference🚨

Yesterday we kicked off the CFT Conference with sessions from some of the leading voices in mental health and compassion. Here’s a quick reminder:

Professor Paul Gilbert OBE set the tone for an insightful and reflective day with his opening address looking back on how the Foundation and CFT has grown over the past 20 years and invited the founding members of the Foundation to share their reflections.

We heard from Prof Patrick Luyten on how Mentalization-based Therapy (MBT) and Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) can work together to support people experiencing complex trauma.

A Symposium on Compassion and the Body offered insights into the use of Embodied Compassion Training for CFT Therapists from Dr Neil Clapton and Dr Syd Hiskey.

Isabel Rodríguez Moreno shared details of a study - Compassion Beyond Bars (CBB): Assessing the Impact of a Compassion-Based Intervention in Intimate Partner Violence Perpetrators.

Associate Professor Niki Petrocchi explored the benefits of integrating EMDR with Compassion Focused Therapy and Professor Derek Farrell looked specifically at a Mixed-Methods Proof-of-Concept Study of Intensive Group EMDR (ASAP) Integrated with Compassion-Focused Therapy for PTSD, Complex PTSD, and Moral Injury in Law Enforcement, Emergency Workers and First Responders.

Our final Keynote of the day from Dr Marcela Matos explored the relationship between compassion, epigenetics and our physical and mental health.

The day ended with a birthday-themed dinner and dance to mark our 20th anniversary celebrations. 🎂

Day 2 is underway!

Address

Derby

Telephone

01332 742722

Website

http://www.compassionatemind.co.uk/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when The Compassionate Mind Foundation posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.