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Compassion Focused Therapy's literature base continues to flourish and expand, building our knowledge and inspiring our practice. Below, you'll find links to the latest published research*, which has been compiled with a focus specifically on CFT. We have included hashtags to help highlight content and location.
*At present, this list includes English language articles, and papers specifically focused on CFT and CMT
Aldridge-Waddon, L., & Russell, L. (2025). Psychological approaches in understanding and treating voice disorders: a primer for compassion focused therapy (CFT). Logopedics Phoniatrics Vocology, 1-18. #voicehearing
Alimohamadi, A., Ghasemzadeh, M., Baberi, F., Rostami, H., Sirois, F., Matin, H., Asgharipour, N. & Nikfar, E. (2025). Evaluating the effectiveness of compassion‐focused therapy on psychological outcomes in medical students: A pilot randomized controlled trial. British Journal of Health Psychology, 30(4), e70029. #medicalstudents #Iran
Ascone, L., Mostajeran, F., Hagen, H., Börncke, F., Klock, L., Gallinat, J., & Kühn, S. (2025). Compassion-focused virtual reality for individuals with a psychotic disorder: a randomized-controlled pilot study. Psychosis, 1-17. #psychosis #virtualreality #Germany
Backman, H., Ranta, K., Manninen, M., Lindberg, N., & Ribeiro da Silva, D. (2025) “I saw him as a human being, just an ordinary young person” therapists’ perspectives on therapeutic alliance with youth exhibiting psychopathic traits. Psychotherapy Research, 1-13. #CYP #forensics #Finland
Batchelor, R., & Violette, M. (2025). Compassion-focused therapy for anxiety, depression, and self-compassion in adults with epilepsy. Epilepsy & Behavior, 172, 110698. #physicalhealth #epilespy #UK
Bennetta, A., & Singh, S. S. K. (2025). Reflections on using compassion-focused methods within staff supervision in the prison setting. The Journal of Forensic Practice. #staffsupervision #forensics
Brown, N., & Ashcroft, K. (2025). The effectiveness of compassion focused therapy for the three flows of compassion, self-criticism, and shame in clinical populations: A systematic review. Behavioral Sciences, 15(8), 1031. #threeflows #shameandselfcriticism #systematicreview
Chou, C. Y., Valdez, C., Stevens, T. S., Mathews, C. A., & Shumway, M. (2025). Effects of Trauma, Shame, and Self-Criticism on Hoarding: Comparative Data and Treatment Implications. OBM Integrative and Complementary Medicine, 10(4), 1-18. #shameandselfcriticism #trauma #hoarding
De Vincenzo, F., Bernini, D., Contardi, A., Bungaro, N., Currado, D., Navarini, L., Marino, A., Alessio C. & Iani, L. (2025). Psychological distress in arthritis: The key roles of compassion from others and rumination—A cross-sectional study. Journal of Health Psychology, #arthritis #compassionfromothers
Dover, S., & Clements, F. (2025). Body dissatisfaction, stigma and eating disorders: a scoping study on the role of compassion focused therapy. Journal of Eating Disorders, 13(1), 145. #ED #stigma #bodydissatisfaction
Gnatt, I., Mackelprang, J. L., Phillipou, A., & Nedeljkovic, M. (2025). A pilot feasibility and acceptability study of an online compassion-focused group therapy intervention to treat comorbid eating disorders and PTSD symptoms. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 100946. #groups #ED #PTSD #online #Australia
Gonabadi-Nezhad, L., Moeini, F. R., Ghanei Rezae Moghaddam, S., Golmohamadi, O., Nazemi, M., Khojastehmottaghi, M., & Roostaee, M. (2025). Compassion-focused therapy enhances outcomes of PTSD pharmacotherapy: A randomized controlled trial. Military Psychology, 1-10. #PTSD #pharmacotherapy #Iran
Hanley, L. (2025). The HMPPS approach to large-scale implementation of a CFT-informed intervention for men in prison who experience offence-related sexual interests. The Journal of Forensic Practice, 1-16. #forensics #UK
Hunter, R., Pilling, A., Warren, H., Fox, K., & McCormack, M. (2025) A preliminary evaluation of a group compassion-focused intervention for individuals affected by perinatal loss. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 16, 1642423 #groups #perinatalloss
Lawrence, D., Stubbings, D., & Watt, A. (2025). Using a short‐term risk assessment and compassion focused staff support groups to reduce restrictive intervention use in a secure mental health service. British Journal of Clinical Psychology. #staffsupport #securehospital
Lloyd-Collins, T. M., Fitzallen, G. C., & Kirby, J. N. (2025). A Compassion-Focused Approach to Support Parents After Preterm Birth. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 1-19. #parents #Australia
Lynch, S., Pender, R., Ingram, C., Finnerty, C., Lowry, D., O'Meara, Y., & Brennan, D. J. (2025). The COMFORT Trial: A Randomised Control Trial Comparing Group‐Based COMpassion‐FOcused Therapy Techniques and Breathing Pattern ReTraining With Treatment as Usual on the Psychological Functioning of Patients Diagnosed With Cancer Recurrence. Cancer Medicine, 14(15), e71047. #cancer #RCT #breathing
Mehrabi, N., Amiri, H., Omidi, A., & Sarvizadeh, M. (2025). The effectiveness of group compassion-focused therapy on difficulty in emotion regulation, pain severity and quality of life among women with breast cancer: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Psychosocial Oncology, 1-21. #breastcancer #physicalhealth #Iran
Mohamadiyan, M. Efficacy of Compassion-Focused Therapy on Distress Tolerance, Rumination, and Depression in Mothers of Children with Intellectual Disabilities. Journal of Psychological Science, 223-240. #depression #IDD #parents #Iran
Millard-Brewer, L. A., Smith, D. M., Wan, M. W., & Wittkowski, A. (2025) Perinatal compassion focused therapy for mothers with mental health difficulties: a study protocol for a multisite and mixed methods feasibility and acceptability study. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 16, 1681673 #perinatal #UK
Ordoni Aval, M. (2025). The effectiveness of Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) on interpersonal sensitivity and competence perception in students with social anxiety. Journal of Modern Psychology, e231125. #socialanxiety #students #Iran
Rammou, A., Allan, S. M., Dean-Tozer, M., & Baker, J. (2025). A qualitative evaluation of a compassion-focused therapy group intervention for UK healthcare staff at an acute hospital trust. PLoS One, 20(9), e0333582. #groups #healthcarestaff #UK
Ríos-Mercado, S. P., Tena-Suck, A., Lucio, M. E., Maqueo, G., Villafuerte-Montiel, A. L., & Fuentes-Balderrama, J. (2025) Compassion focused therapy for complex posttraumatic stress disorder: A randomized controlled trial, Revista de Psicopatología y Psicología Clínica, 30(3), 217-231. #PTSD #RCT #Mexico
Smallwood, J., Gibson, S., Zelin, J., Langdon, D., & Vosper, J. (2025). Making Cervical Screening More Accessible: A Compassion-Focused Self-Help Intervention for Survivors of Sexual Assault. Journal of Patient Experience, 12, 23743735251343581. #psychosexual #assault
Stock, M., Beaman, L., Moreton, R., Holland-Borosh, C., Hartland, H., & Hamadi, L. (2025) The efficacy of compassion focused therapy in eating disorders: a systematic review of the literature. Journal of Eating Disorders, 13(1), 1-34. #literaturereview #eating disorders
Taylor, J. (2025) Applications of compassion-focused therapy in forensic settings: the development of forensic-CFT. The Journal of Forensic Practice, 1-16 #forensics
Tomlinson, L., & Mahoney, A. (2025) Developing a compassion-focussed therapy-based intervention (CFTi) for women in prison with prolific self-harm behaviour. The Journal of Forensic Practice, 1-16. #forensics #selfharm
Twomey, C., Cagney, O., McEnerny, F., & Dowling, C. (2025) The Acceptability of a Rolling Compassion Focused Therapy Group Embedded Within an Eating Disorder Day Hospital Programme: A Brief Report European Eating Disorders Review. #groups #eatingdisorders
Waite, H. O. H., Wane, J., & Lamers, C. (2025). Compassion-focused approaches in forensic and inpatient mental health services: a systematic review. The Journal of Forensic Practice. #systematicreview #forensics
Williams, C., Cook, A., & Beadsmoore, L. (2025). A conceptual framework outlining the use of compassionate mind training following incidents of moral injury within forensic mental health services. The Journal of Forensic Practice. #CMT #forensics
Croston, M., Summerside, J., Kakaiya, M., & Irons, C. (2025). The compassionate mind approach to supporting psychological wellbeing in people living with HIV. British Journal of Nursing, 34(3), 160-164.
Garrett, C., Smith, D. M., & Wittkowski, A. (2025). The acceptability of compassion-focused therapy in clinical populations: a metasynthesis of the qualitative literature. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 16, 1400962.
Gilbert, P. (2025). Compassion and self‑compassion: A biopsychosocial and evolutionary approach. In G. T. Ronen & S. Geller (eds), Grounding psychotherapy in self-compassion, Guilford Press; pp.30-51 #theory #approach
Heriot‐Maitland, C., & Bell, T. (2025). Compassion‐focused chairwork for voice‐hearing relationships, body triggers and motivational states. Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice. #chairwork #voicehearing
Manão, A. A., Seabra, D., & Salvador, M. D. C. (2025). The role of social safeness and self-reassurance in the relationship between shame related to sexual orientation and depressive symptoms in LGB+ people. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 1-14.
Marques, C. C., Sayal, A., Palmeira, L., Goss, K., Correia, R., Castilho, P., ... & Castelo‐Branco, M. (2025). Therapeutic Benefits of a 16‐Week Compassion Focused Therapy for Overeating Are Associated With Positive Autonomic Changes and Putamen Responses. International Journal of Eating Disorders.
Martins, F. J., Palmeira, L., & Matos, M. (2025). Effectiveness of Compassion-Based Interventions for Reducing Stress in Workers: A Systematic Review. Mindfulness, 1-14. #stress
Moloney-Gibb, D., Sherwell, C. S., Lynn, S., Day, J., & Kirby, J. N. (2025). Testing a digital and interactive scale (the three circles) to assess emotion regulation. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 16351. #threecirclemodel #scale #digital
Poz, R., & Craig, C. (2025). Compassion focused therapy for older people: Why it is needed and adaptations for clinical practice. Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, 98(3), 726-742.
Vivolo, M., Ardeman, G., & Ford, C. (2025). Compassion-Focused Therapy Groups in Secondary Care Adult Mental Health Services: A Service Evaluation. International Journal of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, 18(1), 94-113.
Vestin, M., Jokinen, J., Blomqvist, I., & Dennhag, I. (2025). Participants' evaluation of an internet-based group compassion-focused therapy program for young people in Sweden. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1548320.
Vestin, M., Wallin, L., Naesström, M., Blomqvist, I., Svedin, C. G., Beaumont, E., ... & Dennhag, I. (2025). Internet-based group compassion-focused therapy for Swedish young people with stress, anxiety and depression: a pilot waitlist randomized controlled trial. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1547046.
