ABSTRACT
Compassion focused therapy (CFT) is a transdiagnostic approach which has been developed to help people who struggle with issues around shame and self-criticism, both of which are difficulties which have been found to be common in individuals with eating disorders. The group was developed to be interactive in style, involving psychoeducation, group discussions, group and pair exercises, alongside mindfulness and imagery exercises. Kelly et al found, within a specialist eating disorders service, that lower self-compassion and higher fear of self-compassion were associated with more shame and higher eating disorder pathology. Those who find themselves within that environment at a lower social rank, may experience more shame, anxiety and depression, and unfortunately their means of coping with these feelings may be through the use of eating disorder behaviours and cognitions. The settings where the group has been conducted have utilised different models of therapy within their group and individual treatment programmes, such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and cognitive analytic therapy.
