Paul Gilbert OBE qualified in clinical psychology in 1980 and is professor of clinical psychology at the University of Derby and has had a number of visiting international professorships. From his extensive clinical and research work he developed compassion focused therapy for people with complex mental health problems.

Gregoris Simos, MD, is a Professor of Psychopathology, University of Macedonia, Thessaloniki, Greece. He is an internationally respected psychiatrist and a recognized authority in the field of contemporary psychotherapies (CBT, CFT). He is a member of the International Advisory Committee of the Beck Institute for CBT.

Section I Compassion focused therapy: An evolved biopsychosocial approach; 1. Setting the scene: Psychotherapy at a crossroads and a compassionate way forward, Paul Gilbert; 2. Compassion focused therapy as an evolution informed, biopsychosocial science of the mind: History and challenge, Paul Gilbert; 3. The evolved functions of caring connections as a basis for compassion, Paul Gilbert; 4. Shame, humiliation, social status and the pain of social disconnection, Paul Gilbert; 5. Internal shame and self-disconnection: From hostile self-criticism to compassionate self-correction and guidance, Paul Gilbert; 6. Formulation and fears, blocks and resistances, Paul Gilbert; Section II CFT practices and settings; 7. CFT Introducing and developing compassion functions and competencies, Paul Gilbert; 8. Compassionate Mind Training: Key Themes, Paul Gilbert; 9 Meeting the challenges of a multi mind and the role of grieving, Paul Gilbert; 10. Compassion focused therapy and the body: how physiological underpinnings of prosociality inform clinical practice, Nicola Petrocchi, Maria Di Bello, Simone Cheli and Cristina Ottaviani; 11. Psychedelics, connectedness and compassion, Enzo Tagliazucchi, Lorena Llobenes and Natali Gumiy; 12. Self-practice/self-reflection (SP/SR) training for compassion focused therapists, Tobyn Bell, James Bennett-Levy and Tara Hickey; 13. The therapeutic relationship in Compassion Focused Therapy, Hannah Gilbert; 14. A Group Mindfulness and Compassion Focused Therapy Programme, Francis Gheysen, Marine Paucsik and Pascal Delamillieure; 15. Compassion focused therapy in Groups, Derek Griner, Mark E. Beecher, Gary M. Burlingame, David M. Erekson and Kara Cattani; 16. Compassion Focused Group Psychotherapy for people who could attract a diagnosis of personality disorder, Kate Lucre; Section III Specific applications; 17. Compassion Focused Therapy chairwork, Tobyn Bell; 18. Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) for emotion regulation difficulties, Chris Irons; 19. Compassion Focused Therapy for the treatment of anxiety, Dennis Tirch; 20. True Strength: Using Compassion Focused Therapy in the treatment of problematic anger, Russell L. Kolts; 21. Compassion Focused Therapy in forensic settings, Diana Ribeiro da Silva and Daniel Rijo; 22. The Roles of shame, self-criticism and compassion focused therapy in eating disorders and disordered eating, Ken Goss and Allison Kelly; 23. Compassion Focused Therapy as an evolutionary and biopsychosocial understanding of depression and its Management, Gregoris Simos; 24. Compassion Focused Therapy for voice-hearing and delusions in psychosis, Charles Heriot-Maitland; 25. Using Compassion Focused Therapy to work with complex PTSD, Deborah Lee; 26. A Compassionate Focused Therapy approach to supporting parents and children, James N. Kirby; 27. Overview of outcome research on Compassion Focused Therapy: A scoping review, Jaskaran Basran, Joanne Raven and Ptarmigan Plowright