Abstract
Compassion-focused therapy (CFT) is a relatively novel form of psychotherapy that was developed for people who have mental health problems primarily linked to high shame and self-criticism. The aim of this early systematic review was to draw together the current research evidence of the effectiveness of CFT as a psychotherapeutic intervention, and to provide recommendations that may inform the development of further trials. A comprehensive search of electronic databases was undertaken to systematically identify literature relating to the effectiveness of CFT as a psychotherapeutic intervention. Reference lists of key journals were hand searched and contact with experts in the field was made to identify unpublished data. Fourteen studies were included in the review, including three randomized controlled studies. The findings from the included studies were, in the most part, favourable to CFT, and in particular seemed to be effective for people who were high in self-criticism. CFT shows promise as an intervention for mood disorders, particularly those high in self-criticism. However, more large-scale, high-quality trials are needed before it can be considered evidence-based practice. The review highlights issues from the current evidence that may be used to inform such trials.
Highlights
The benefits of an early systematic review of compassion-focused therapy (CFT)This review examines the psychotherapeutic effects of CFT, a relatively novel form of psychotherapy
The empirical studies retrieved for this review build on a body of correlational evidence indicating that compassion may be a promising target upon which to focus psychotherapeutic intervention, for individuals who are high in self-criticism
The studies identified in this review indicated some evidence for specificity of effects, the finding that the effect of CFT can be moderated by selfcriticism (Kelly et al 2009, 2010; Shapira & Mongrain, 2010) and other individual differences, with highly self-critical individuals showing greater improvement in symptoms than those low in self-criticism (Kelly et al 2010; Shapira & Mongrain, 2010)
Summary
The benefits of an early systematic review of compassion-focused therapy (CFT)This review examines the psychotherapeutic effects of CFT, a relatively novel form of psychotherapy. Neff et al 2007; Barnard & Curry, 2011), suggests a need for the current state of evidence to be reviewed to demonstrate whether the increasing popularity of CFT is supported by a sound research base This early systematic review of the current evidence includes all study designs with a view to obtaining important information on the acceptability and tolerability of CFT to patients. Compassion-focused therapy (CFT) is a relatively novel form of psychotherapy that was developed for people who have mental health problems primarily linked to high shame and self-criticism The aim of this early systematic review was to draw together the current research evidence of the effectiveness of CFT as a psychotherapeutic intervention, and to provide recommendations that may inform the development of further trials
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