About this course:

This workshop will outline the CFT psychoeducation of how evolution has set humans up with a tricky brain that has a natural threat bias that can incline towards dissociating, problematic attention, and over-estimating threat (i.e. ‘better safe than sorry’). It will guide participants through the CFT formulation of voice-hearing and delusional beliefs, which focuses on their (protective) function for people, particularly in the context of interpersonal threat and trauma. Building on these de-shaming foundations in psychoeducation and formulation, workshop participants will learn how to support their clients in developing a ‘compassionate self’ identity and how to switch into compassionate mind states that organise multiple physiological processes differently to that of threat states. Participants will learn techniques that support their clients in applying compassionate competencies to achieve therapeutic change, with illustrative examples of interventions such as parts work, voice-dialoguing, imagery, letter-writing, and interventions that use role play, chair work embodiment and acting techniques.

Key learning objectives:

1. The CFT model and its relevance to experiences in psychosis

2. Psychoeducation about evolved brains, with their built-in patterns, emotion systems, and multiple selves

3. How to create internal and external cues of safeness, and cultivate a compassionate self

4. Techniques to facilitate compassionate relating to self, others, voices, and to parts that strongly hold beliefs

Key References:

• Heriot-Maitland, C., Gumley, A., Wykes, T., Longden, E., Irons, C., Gilbert, P., & Peters, E. (2023). A case series study of compassion-focused therapy for distressing experiences in psychosis. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 62, 762–781. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjc.12437
• Heriot-Maitland, C. (2023). Position paper – CFT for psychosis. Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, 00, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1111/papt.12490
• Heriot-Maitland, C. & Longden, E. (2022), Relating to Voices using Compassion Focused Therapy: A Self-help Companion. London: Routledge
• Heriot-Maitland, C., McCarthy-Jones, S., Longden, E. & Gilbert, P. (2019). Compassion Focused Approaches to Working with Distressing Voices. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 152. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00152
• Cultural Institute at King’s (2015). Compassion for voices: A tale of courage and hope [online video]. www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRqI4lxuXAw
• Heriot-Maitland, C., & Bell, T. (2025). Compassion-focused chairwork for voice-hearing relationships, body triggers and motivational states. Psychol Psychother. https://doi.org/10.1111/papt.12600
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