Compassion Focussed Occupational Therapy
Compassion Focused Occupational Therapy
The approach integrates Occupational Therapy with Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) to support you in navigating self-criticism, emotional overwhelm, and disconnection from what matters most to you.
Grounded in the neuroscience of emotion, the psychology of compassion, and the holistic principles of Occupational Therapy, we explore how the brain’s threat system, often expressed through harsh inner criticism or unrelenting standards, can shape your daily experiences.
Together, we build compassionate insight into your patterns of thinking, doing, and being. From this, we identify what supports you need to move toward a life that feels more balanced and aligned with your values.
What Is Compassion Focused Therapy?
Developed by Professor Paul Gilbert, CFT helps people who struggle with shame, self-criticism, or emotional distress. It is rooted in evolutionary psychology and emotion regulation, and explores how our brains have evolved to prioritise threat and survival, often at the cost of connection and wellbeing.
CFT teaches that compassion is not about being soft or indulgent. It is a courageous, wise, and intentional way of relating to difficulty. It offers practical tools to build a supportive inner world, especially when life feels challenging, and helps us understand what gets in the way of this.
What Is Mental Health Occupational Therapy?
Occupational Therapy is a practical, evidence-based approach focused on how we live day-to-day: our roles, routines, relationships, environments, and sources of meaning. It supports you to:
- Do the things that matter to you
- Adapt your environment to meet your needs
- Build routines and rhythms that support your wellbeing, energy, and sensory preferences
Who Is This For?
This approach may be supportive if you’re navigating:
- Anxiety or persistent worry
- Risk of burnout or chronic stress
- Emotion dysregulation or emotional sensitivity
- The strengths and challenges of neurodiversity in everyday life
- Low mood or depression
- Grief, loss, or life transitions
- Shifts in identity or roles (e.g. work, health, relationships)
- A harsh inner critic or difficulty connecting with self-compassion
- Feeling disconnected from what brings meaning or joy
What to Expect
Compassion Focused Occupational Therapy is collaborative and experiential. We start by gaining a shared understanding of what is going on to guide our sessions. You can expect:
Body–Mind Integration
- Gentle practices to support nervous system regulation
- Exploring how breath, posture, movement, and environment influence brain states
Compassion-Focused Tools
- Guided imagery, reflection, and chair work
- Understanding your “multi-mind” and responding in ways that are helpful and not harmful
- Building insight into what blocks compassion and how to work with it
Skills & Structure
- DBT-informed skills: mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, communication
- Clarifying what matters to you
- Building sustainable routines and breaking goals into manageable steps
A Focus on Context
- Exploring how your physical and social environments shape identity and wellbeing
- Adapting routines and spaces to support your needs, not the other way around
- Flexibility to work in-session, at home, or in the community, where real-life change happens