Recent research demonstrates that compassion is a significant, active process in psychotherapy. During this workshop on Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT), we will explore how the science of compassion can be used to enhance our clinical work. This experiential workshop is specifically designed to help practitioners deepen their understanding and practice of compassion. Participants will learn specific imagery and psychotherapeutic techniques designed to generate the compassionate strength and psychological flexibility needed to face life's challenges.
Learning Objectives:
At the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
Apply CFT techniques that help clients to better regulate and tolerate anxiety and other difficult emotions.
Explain the fundamentals of compassion psycholoy, including an evolutionary theory of emotion regulation, attachment, and cognition.
Integrate compassion focused methods into psychotherapy practice.
Utilize The Compassionate Self and Compassionate Other imagery techniques.
Create case conceptualizations and treatment plans utilizing the CFT Three Circle Model of emotional processing.
Apply compassion focused enhancements to exposure and behavioral activation techniques.
Dennis Tirch, PhD, is an internationally recognized expert on Compassion Focused Therapy, and is the Director of The Center for Mindfulness and Compassion Focused Therapy in New York. Dr. Tirch also serves as an Assistant Clinical Professor at Weill-Cornell Medical Center. He is the author of several books, chapters and articles, including The Compassionate Mind Approach to Overcoming Anxiety and The ACT Practitioner’s Guide to The Science of Compassion. Dr. Tirch is a Fellow, Diplomate and Certified Trainer with the Academy of Cognitive Therapy, and an Associate Editor of the Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science. He serves as the President of the NYC-CBT Association, and as President of The Compassionate Mind Foundation USA. Dr. Tirch is a Founding Past President of the New York City Chapter of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science (ACBS) and President of ACBS’s Compassion Focused Special Interest Group. Dr. Tirch is the past Associate Director of The American Institute for Cognitive Therapy.
