BEING AND BECOMING COUNSELLING AND WELLNESS SERVICES

Compassion Focused Therapy

Learn to cultivate and harness compassion—a powerful antidote to suffering.

Compassion Focused Therapy can help you:

INCREASE RESILIENCE

DECREASE SHAME & SELF-CRITICISM

MANAGE YOUR EMOTIONS

Does your inner critic work overtime, turning small mistakes into evidence of your deficiency or unworthiness?

Perhaps you wake up each day with your mind already running an endless loop of self-critical thoughts. You work hard, care deeply, but somehow never feel good enough. You've tried positive thinking and self-help books, but that harsh inner voice remains.

We understand the exhaustion of battling your harshest critic—yourself.

Compassion-focused therapy has helped thousands of people transform their relationship with themselves and others.

Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) is an evidence-based approach that was developed to address self-criticism and shame. It has been shown to help a wide range of conditions including depression, eating disorders, anxiety and more.

COMPASSION FOCUSED THERAPY IN BURNABY AND ACROSS BC

What is Compassion Focused Therapy and How Does it Work?

The power of CFT lies in its understanding about why people are so hard on themselves. The problem isn’t you—your brain's threat detection system is stuck in overdrive, constantly scanning for danger and criticism. While it may seem counter-intuitive—even totally unbelievable—self-criticism is actually an attempt to protect you from rejection or failure. This evolutionary mechanism that once protected your ancestors is now causing unnecessary suffering, keeping you trapped in cycles of anxiety, shame, and self-judgment.

Developed by Dr. Paul Gilbert, Compassion Focused Therapy combines evolutionary psychology, neuroscience, and ancient wisdom traditions. CFT has helped thousands transform their relationship with themselves. It equips you with tools, practices and knowledge, that help you to transform harsh self-criticism into supportive self-correction and effective action. You will learn to relate to yourself differently, giving you access to greater understanding, clarity, acceptance, wisdom and courage during difficult times. Picture making decisions from a place of courage rather than fear, experiencing genuine contentment, and building relationships based on connection rather than protection.

There is another way. We can help get you there.

Compassion Focused Therapy can help you with:

  • Shame and self-criticism

  • Low self-esteem or low self-worth

  • Eating disorders and body shame

  • Anxiety and depression

  • Stress management and burnout

  • Difficulty regulating or managing emotions

  • Relationship challenges

  • Perfectionism and procrastination

Benefits of Compassion Focused Therapy

As you engage in CFT Therapy, you may begin to notice improvements such as:

  • Reduced shame and self-criticism

  • Greater productivity and improved performance

  • Greater emotional stability

  • Reduced symptoms of depression or anxiety

  • Reduction in eating disorder symptoms

  • Improved relationships

  • Decreased social anxiety

  • Increased ability to be manage stress

  • Greater sense of well-being

  • Unlike some therapies that focus primarily on changing thoughts or behaviors, CFT emphasizes understanding the evolutionary basis of our emotions and developing our capacity for self-soothing and compassion. It uniquely addresses the three emotion regulation systems (threat, drive, and soothing) and works to create better balance among them.

  • The length of treatment varies depending on individual needs. Some people experience meaningful benefits within 8-12 sessions, while others with more complex issues may benefit from longer-term work. CFT can be delivered in individual therapy, group settings, or as part of a broader treatment approach.

  • Sessions typically include:

    • Understanding your personal patterns of threat activation

    • Learning about evolutionary psychology and how it shapes your emotions

    • Practicing mindfulness and compassion-focused exercises

    • Developing imagery techniques for self-soothing

    • Building skills to respond to difficulties with compassion rather than criticism

  • No. Research consistently shows that self-compassion leads to greater personal responsibility, motivation, and resilience—not less. CFT teaches compassionate accountability, which addresses problems effectively while avoiding the paralysis and avoidance that often come with harsh self-criticism.

  • Not at all. While CFT incorporates some mindfulness techniques that have roots in Buddhist psychology, it is designed to be accessible to everyone regardless of spiritual background or meditation experience. All necessary skills are taught within the therapy process.

  • Progress in CFT is often measured by:

    • Decreased shame and self-criticism

    • Greater ease in managing difficult emotions

    • Improved relationships with yourself and others

    • Increased ability to self-soothe during stress

    • More balanced perspective on challenges

    • Greater courage in pursuing meaningful goals

  • Yes. There is a growing body of research demonstrating CFT's effectiveness for various conditions including depression, anxiety, eating disorders, self-harm, and psychosis. Studies show it can reduce shame, self-criticism, and symptoms of psychological distress while increasing self-compassion and well-being.

Below are commonly asked questions about Compassion Focused Therapy:

Common Questions about Compassion Focused Therapy

Therapists Offering Compassion Focused Therapy

  • Semhar Ghedela

    Canadian Certified Counsellor

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