Overview

An Introduction to Compassion Focused Therapy and Working with Shame

2-Day workshop by Dr Stan Steindl

Day 1 - Introduction to Compassion Focused Therapy

Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) offers an evolutionary and biopsychosocial framework for understanding mental health difficulties and their alleviation. It emphasises how our brains and emotional systems have evolved for survival rather than happiness, helping normalise distress and reduce shame. Research shows that cultivating compassion can have powerful effects on emotional regulation, physiological functioning, and social connection. This introductory workshop provides an overview of the core principles of CFT, including the three emotion regulation systems and the nature of compassion as a motivation and skill set. Participants will be introduced to practical exercises that stimulate compassionate mental states and support the development of a compassionate self identity, with clear links to clinical application.

Day 2 - CFT for Shame and Shame Memories

Shame is a universal human emotion with important social functions, yet it can also be profoundly painful and deeply disruptive to psychological wellbeing. Shame memories often become central to identity, carrying traumatic qualities that maintain threat system activation, particularly in relational contexts. Growing evidence indicates that compassion—especially the capacity to receive compassion from others and oneself—can buffer and transform the impact of shame. Drawing on Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT), developed by Paul Gilbert, this advanced workshop offers a comprehensive framework for working with shame and shame memories. Through didactic teaching, reflective discussion, and experiential practice, participants will learn to cultivate, embody, and apply the compassionate self in clinical work.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this event, participants should be able to:

Day 1 - Learning Objectives:

• Develop an understanding of how evolutionary functional analysis informs mental health difficulties, with particular attention to the evolution of attachment, caring, and affiliation within human motivational and emotion regulation systems.
• Understand the three-system model of emotion regulation (threat, drive, and affiliative–soothing) that underpins compassion focused interventions.
• Become familiar with core compassion focused skills, including breath and posture work, compassion focused imagery, compassionate mind training to develop the compassionate self, applying this self to areas of difficulty, and strengthening supportive social relationships.
• Understand how CFT can be applied across a range of clinical presentations, particularly where there is a non-affiliative relationship with the self and/or others (e.g. anxiety, depression, shame, eating disorders, personality difficulties, and psychosis).

Day 2 - Learning Objectives:

• Develop a clear understanding of the evolutionary-based biopsychosocial model of shame, including how shame functions to regulate social behaviour and how it can become maladaptive in contemporary clinical contexts.
• Increase awareness of shame and shame memories and their impact across clinical populations, particularly how shame contributes to threat system activation, self-criticism, avoidance, and interpersonal difficulties.
• Learn practical methods to identify and assess shame and shame memories, including recognising overt and subtle presentations of shame in clinical assessment and therapeutic conversations.
• Develop skills in integrating shame-related processes into case formulation, using a Compassion Focused Therapy framework to understand maintaining factors and guide intervention planning.
• Learn to work directly with shame and shame memories using CFT-informed interventions, including body- and imagery-based practices, behavioural and embodiment techniques, and therapeutic letter writing to support compassionate self-to-self relating.

Presenter(s)

Dr. Stan Steindl

About the presenter(s)

Stan is a Clinical Psychologist in private practice at Psychology Consultants Pty Ltd, and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Queensland. He is also co-director of the UQ Compassionate Mind Research Group, and convenor of the annual UQ Compassion Symposium. Stan has over 30 years experience as a therapist, supervisor, trainer and researcher, and works with clients from motivational interviewing and compassion focused therapy perspectives. Stan’s research interests are in the areas of motivation, behaviour change, compassion and compassion-based interventions, and especially the role of cultivating compassion and self- compassion in the context of trauma, shame, self-criticism and clinical disorders, as well as promoting psychological well-being. He is the author of The Gifts of Compassion: How to Understand and Overcome Suffering (2020) and is host of the popular YouTube channel and podcast Compassion in a T-Shirt.

Notes

Registration includes tea and coffee and lunch

Target Audience

This event is aimed at psychologists.

Please note:

• This is a Member Groups event. All communication will be sent to the registrants’ registered email address. This includes event reminders with details (such as the venue details) and any pre-event or post-event resources, if provided by the facilitators.
• A post-event email will be sent within two weeks of the event’s completion to each registrant’s registered email address. This email will include the CPD certificate, and any additional resources shared during the session.
• No handouts will be provided.

Duration of Access

This event will not be recorded.

Cancellations by Event Registrants

• Up to 28 days prior to the event you are registered to attend will receive a full refund.
• Cancellations 27-15 days prior will receive a 50% refund.
• Cancellations received 14 days or less prior to the event will not be refunded, other than for 'exceptional, unforeseeable circumstances', however, you may nominate someone to attend in your place.
• Registrations are not transferable between events.
• All cancellations must be provided in writing to the event organiser

CPD

It is up to attendees to assess and determine how learning from this event aligns with the requirements of their learning plan. The providers accordingly do not make any representation that the event counts towards attendees’ CPD learning requirements. If an attendee determines themselves that the learning they complete aligns to their learning plan, then they can decide to count those hours towards their CPD requirements for the registration cycle.

The information in this presentation has been prepared in good faith and for educational purposes only. Therefore, the information is general in nature and should not be relied upon in the treatment of any condition and you should seek your own independent professional and/or legal advice concerning any specific issue. The APS accepts no responsibility for any errors, omissions or decisions relating to the information. The content should not be reproduced without permission or unless permitted by law.

If you are experiencing registration difficulties please contact APS Events Support.