The Effects of a Compassion Focused Intervention on a Non-Clinical Student Population
Previous research has suggested that Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) is beneficial for individuals suffering from a variety of mental health concerns including depression, shame, and self-criticism. The present study assessed the effects of a 10-week university Introduction to CFT course that includes a group orientation to CFT including exposure to CFT intervention exercises. It was hypothesized that those receiving the CFT course would show reductions in shame, self-criticism, and fears of compassion, and increases in gratitude, positive affect, and self-compassion relative to controls. While some differences were observed between the CFT and control groups, none of the hypothesized group X time interactions achieved statistical significance. These results suggest that a course-style CFT intervention is not sufficient for producing measureable clinical change in participants.
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