Virtual Compassion Focused Therapy for Distressing Voice-Hearing
and Beliefs in Psychosis Training
with Charlie Heriot-Maitland, Ph.D., DclinPsy, MA, BSc
July 7, 8, 13, and 14, 2022
9:30am-1:30pm(PST) Each Day
Course Outline
The workshop will outline Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) psychoeducation and 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, using ‘better safe than sorry’ algorithms. It will guide participants through the CFT formulation of voice-hearing and delusions, 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 organize 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.
Registered participants will be sent a link to a pre-workshop primer video two weeks prior to the first workshop date.
Optional Monthly Consultations
Dr. Heriot-Maitland is offering monthly group consultation for six months. Consultation will support clinicians, including those working in early psychosis care, to implement CFT within their clinical practice and will include case discussion and rehearsal of CFT techniques. Consultation is limited to 4 clinicians in the consultation group and will be available on a first come first served basis. Consultations will take place on the following dates:
- Third Tuesday of the month: 9:00am-10:30am PST, beginning September 20, 2022
- Fourth Tuesday of the month: 9:00am-10:30am PST, beginning September 27, 2022
If interested in a consultation, please select the registration type (regular, early bird, student) plus consultation. We will follow up to confirm the dates. If for any reason we are not able to accommodate preferred consultation dates, we will refund this portion of the registration.
Key Resource
Compassion for Voices
a 5-minute animated film which outlines a compassion-focused approach for relating to voices. The film was made by Charlie at King’s College London in 2015, with input from Dr Eleanor Longden, who provided the narration.