Paul is the founder of Compassion Focused Therapy, and is the President of the Compassionate Mind Foundation, which he founded in 2006. He is an internationally renowned Professor of Clinical Psychology, who is particularly recognised for his expertise in the treatment of depression and shame. He has researched evolutionary approaches to psychopathology for over 35 years with a special focus on shame and the treatment of shame based difficulties, for which compassion focused therapy (CFT) was developed. He has written and edited 22 books, including the best selling The Compassionate Mind and Overcoming Depression, and his latest book Living Like Crazy. He was awarded an OBE for services to healthcare in March 2011.

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Dr Wendy Wood MBACP FHEA has many years of experience as a therapist and clinical supervisor working within the NHS and private practice. She worked as a mental health nurse, working in both hospital and community settings, including elderly care, day hospital rehabilitation settings and drug and alcohol community support.

Wendy moved on to work as an assistant psychologist, developing counselling in primary care. She then moved into an academic role developing a wide range of academic courses for 20 years, including both undergraduate and postgraduate courses in counselling and psychotherapy.

As a Senior Lecturer in Higher Education, developing, and teaching many programmes including one of the first postgraduate qualifications in Compassion Focused Therapy in the world.

Over the past ten years, Wendy has worked on the development of training for Compassion Focused Therapy. Her contributions to the development and course leadership of the Postgraduate Certificate in CFT, the world's first academic course in CFT. She continues to provide training, therapy, and clinical supervision in CFT and CMT.

Wendy retired from the University of Derby in 2017 to focus on her PhD and other projects, including Compassion in Schools research. In 2021, Wendy completed her PhD, in a qualitative study entitled “The Personal and Professional Experiences of Counsellors and Psychotherapists who Employ the Principles and Practices of Compassion Focused Therapy: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis”.

Wendy now works as Programme Leader & Training Advisor for the Compassionate Mind Foundation. She contributes to research in Compassion Focused Therapy and Compassionate Mind Training as well as an Associate Lecturer at the University of Derby and in private practice as a therapist and supervisor. And is currently contributing to research into Compassion in Schools.