Experiencing Compassion-Focused Therapy from the Inside Out: A Self-Practice/Self-Reflection Workbook for Therapists

‘I applaud the authors for this excellent book. CBT offers highly effective tools for change, but convincing clients to use them is not always easy. There is no doubt that personal practice with the techniques will enhance the therapist’s ability to motivate clients. Therapists will be better able to respond to queries convincingly and preempt any problems in implementation. Importantly, SP/SR is likely to increase practitioners’ empathy and respect for clients, thus enhancing the therapeutic alliance and improving outcomes.’?

‘As a reader, you are in good hands. The authors not only have used these methods themselves, they have guided hundreds of therapists through the process. The exercises, worksheets, and instructive text are all road-tested and designed to help you have the best experience possible using CBT for self-practice. The self-reflection exercises integrated into this book help you maximize your learning’¦.Along the way, your efforts are likely to kindle new depths of meaning and new ways of being to help you become a better therapist and a happier person.’?

‘This terrific book places direct personal experience of CBT right at the heart of the training process. SP/SR has been an enduring passion for Bennett-Levy and his international team of authors for more than 15 years, and this steady commitment shines through in the book’s integration of clearly explained theory, evidence, and lucidly designed and written practical modules. Encouraging us to apply CBT concepts and methods to ourselves, the book highlights our common humanity’because we and our patients have the same imperfect human minds, and we too can liberate ourselves from unhelpful old patterns in just the same way. A radical and refreshing approach!’?

‘This workbook skillfully and compassionately walks mental health trainees and experienced practitioners alike through the steps of applying the evidence-based practices of CBT to themselves for professional and personal growth. Using well-crafted written and experiential exercises, Bennett-Levy et al. help the reader to recognize self-limiting ‘old ways of being’ and to develop and maintain ‘new ways of being.’ The result is an increase in empathy for clients who struggle with the therapeutic process (which is arduous!) and an enhanced congruency between what therapists offer their clients and how they live their own lives. The book will be of great benefit in graduate training, in group supervision, as a professional development project, or as part of a CBT retreat with colleagues.’?

‘The authors have done CBT a great service. Good teachers know their subject inside out; therapists who use CBT tools to understand their own vulnerabilities and strengths’and change long-standing habits of thinking and behavior’will be better at teaching these tools to clients. Clients sense this authenticity. The authors show how to imbue CBT with compassion, humanity, and the humility that comes from direct experience of how hard change can be.’?

‘This book builds on what we already know about working with clients: learning through experience is far more valuable than being told something or reading about it. Of course, this principle applies just as much to the therapist. The book will likely be helpful to clinicians at all career stages who wish to improve their ability to help others or who are working with challenging clients.’?

‘For years, we have been practicing and teaching CBT from the outside in: theoretical underpinnings, procedures, protocols, and techniques. At long last, we have a book that enhances CBT practice through a systematic process of self-practice and self-reflection. The authors have done an exceptional job of fostering an experiential journey through which understanding of the therapist’s self and of patients can be developed via an emphasis on process, strengths, and culture. This book should be read by all CBT practitioners and trainers.’?

‘Chee-Wing Wong, PsychD, Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

‘CFT is a bold new approach to psychotherapy based on our innate capacity to transform emotional suffering’our own and others”by cultivating care and kindness. This workbook introduces clinicians to CFT and provides a first-person experiential framework for transferring that knowledge into clinical practice. A special strength of this book is its versatility; it invites clinicians to explore up to 34 different aspects of CFT that are most personally relevant. Highly recommended for novice and seasoned therapists who want to experience and share the life-changing potential of CFT.’?

‘Christopher Germer, PhD, private practice, Arlington, Massachusetts

‘CFT is becoming an essential technique in the armamentarium of the mental health clinician. This book allows clinicians to understand the power of CFT through applying the therapy to themselves, and by doing so, to improve both their own lives and their clinical effectiveness. The authors are to be commended for this superb, straightforward guide that allows the reader to truly experience CFT ‘from the inside out.”?

‘James R. Doty, MD, Founder and Director, Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education, Stanford University

‘A ‘must read’ for all therapists! This book does an amazing job of taking the complex, empirically based principles of CFT and weaving them into an easy-to-implement guide to personal practice. Any therapist who wants to help clients develop greater self-compassion should read this book first in order to see how it all works. You will learn how to be kinder and more supportive to yourself using the practices of CFT. The SP/SR approach not only will improve the quality of your professional practice, but also will help you become happier and more emotionally resilient along the way.’?

‘Kristin Neff, PhD, Department of Educational Psychology, University of Texas at Austin

‘This book is an extraordinary achievement. It takes therapists to the heart and soul of CFT practice, inviting them to genuinely embody and experience compassion for both self and others. The workbook is intellectually vigorous and packed with a rich array of research and practices. This is a volume that will enrich the knowledge of novice and seasoned practitioners alike, and must be the go-to resource for anyone wanting to develop a deep understanding of CFT.’?

‘Graham Music, PhD, Tavistock Centre, London, United Kingdom