Classroom Course » Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) Approach to Voice-Hearing

Dates & Times:
September 30, Friday 9:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Hosted By:
Felton Institute Research and Training

Registration is Closed

Description:
People who hear voices often live in a constant world of internal and external threat; whether it's their voices making explicit threats, a feeling they're being watched, a conspiracy, or whether it's just the threat implicit in having their life influenced by outside forces.

What this means, at the physiological level, is that the entire brain-body system that has evolved to process and respond to threats is being constantly stimulated. And, of course, the more this system gets activated, the more sensitized it becomes.

As if this weren't problematic enough, associated diagnoses like ‘schizophrenia' carry severe social stigma, and many of those diagnosed will internalize this stigma to experience shame. What this brings is an additional layer of threat, linked to one's social position or social-rank.

Compassion Focused Therapy aims to help people regulate threat processing by building internal feelings of safeness and affiliation, and by providing contexts, practices and insights that facilitate the development of compassion to self, others, voices, and dissociated parts.
Objective:
  1. Explain the role of compassion and why it is needed in understanding "tricky" human brains.
  2. Describe the CFT model of compassion and how to apply this model in interventions for voice-hearers.
  3. Develop skills to help clients establish a bodily experience of safeness through, e.g.: i) practice of soothing rhythm breathing, which activates the parasympathetic system; ii) learning to recognise what postures and activities ground and centre the person; and iii) using mindfulness and imagery exercises.
  4. Develop skills to help their clients create the external contexts (e.g. interpersonal and environmental) in which safeness experience can flourish.
  5. Practice techniques to help clients develop a ‘compassionate self', which is a part of them with the qualities required to explore and engage with their fears, voices, and dissociated parts; essentially, a self-identity that organises the mind and provides a secure base (or grounding) from which to do the therapeutic work.
  6. Develop skills to help clients use these compassionate qualities and skills to manage internal conflicts and to initiate supportive dialogue between voices and different emotional parts. This is achieved through techniques such as voice dialoguing / talking with voices, imagery, chair work, and letter writing.
Intended Audience:
Clinicians, and case managers, and others providing mental health services.
Session Notes:

Presenter Bios:

Eleanor Longden is a research psychologist with lived experience of psychosis who has lectured internationally on recovery-orientated approaches to complex mental health problems, including TED and WHO events. She works at the Psychosis Research Unit (PRU) in Manchester, and coordinates the research committee of Intervoice.

Charlie Heriot-Maitland is a clinical psychologist, researcher and trainer at King's College London. He is currently researching the social context of anomalous experiences and the application of Compassion-Focused Therapy for people experiencing distress in relation to psychosis. He provides psychological therapies in NHS psychosis services, and in private practice. He also runs various compassion training workshops for practitioners and the general public.

Cancellation Policy:

If Felton Institute Research and Training cancels a training course as a result of low registrations, participants will be notified by email one week prior to the course start date. Where courses are cancelled for reasons beyond our control, they may be cancelled at shorter notice. Participants will receive a full refund for the training fees paid if a course is cancelled.

Please note that we will not be liable for any loss, including travel and accommodation costs, suffered by or on behalf of any person who wished to attend an event, should we cancel it for any reason.

There will be a $10 cancellation fee for cancellations by registered participant for any reason. All registered participants must cancel by sending an email at least 48 hours/ two full working days in advance if unable to attend. Refunds may take up to 4 weeks to process.  No refunds for non-attendance. 

Instructions for addressing grievance related to training at Felton Institute can be found online by following the link below: 
http://www.feltonresearch.org/FIGrievancePolicy2016.pdf


Felton Institute is approved by the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (provider#130043) to sponsor continuing education for marriage and family therapists,clinical social workers, professional clinical counselors, and educational psychologists. Felton Institute maintains responsibility for this program/course and its content. Course meets the qualifications for 6 hours of continuing education credit for LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs, and/or LEPs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences.


To request accommodations of any kind for this event or for any further questions about our continuing education program please contact our Training Manager, Anthony Vasquez at avasquez@felton.org or by calling 415.474.7310 x707.

Venue:
Unitarian Universalist Church
1187 Franklin St
San Francisco, California 94109
View Map
Certificates:
American Psychological Association (APA) details
Forgot Password help button image Create Account