Compassion Focused Therapy
What it is
Whether it can help you,
A brief case study using CFT
You’re smart, capable, and outwardly holding it all together - but inside, things feel increasingly unsustainable.
You’ve hit a point where stress, anxiety, or emotional exhaustion are no longer manageable with your usual coping strategies.
This isn’t about needing “more self-care.”
It’s about interrupting deeply ingrained patterns before they take a long-term toll.
I’m Dr Claire Plumbly, a clinical psychologist specialising in intensive trauma and burnout recovery for professionals who need deep, lasting change - delivered with clarity, efficiency, and psychological depth.
You’re smart, capable, and outwardly holding it all together - but inside, things feel increasingly unsustainable.
You’ve hit a point where stress, anxiety, or emotional exhaustion are no longer manageable with your usual coping strategies.
This isn’t about needing “more self-care.”
It’s about interrupting deeply ingrained patterns before they take a long-term toll.
I’m Dr Claire Plumbly, a clinical psychologist specialising in intensive trauma and burnout recovery for professionals who need deep, lasting change - delivered with clarity, efficiency, and psychological depth.
CFT is a really good option for perfectionism, low self-esteem and for anxious over-achievers
The emphasis in CFT is on developing a compassionate relationship with yourself and others; this means learning to tune in to your feelings of distress and then practicing techniques to both soothe these feelings and make compassionate decisions to help you manage the stressors affecting you as effectively as possible.
Who Can CFT Help?
People suffering from anxiety, depression, burnout and attachment trauma can all benefit from this approach - particularly if they tend to be hard on themselves or keep others at arms length.
It can also help those who push themselves to keep going due to fears. Typical fears can include: failing; being criticised or letting others down.
How Does CFT Work?
Therapy begins by getting to know you and your difficulties, such as anxiety; overworking patterns; excessive worrying; procrastinating; relationship or friendship difficulties and so on.
We also spend time getting to know your background and current stresses at work and home. This enables you and the therapist to map out how your past and present life experiences have shaped your responses to yourself and others.
You then learn about the human psychology which impacts our stress responses, and practice tools to cope with strong emotions; respond to stress more effectively.
Over time you start to learn to accept yourself and others, and create a more meaningful life because you don't need to avoid things that feel challenging. Plus you start to believe in yourself more too!
Case Study of CFT
James* is a GP partner in his early 50s with over 20 years’ experience in clinical practice. He sought therapy after his wife and colleagues noticed he had become more distant and irritable. Despite being highly competent and well regarded, James carried a constant sense of responsibility for outcomes beyond his control.
In therapy, James identified long-standing patterns of overworking, difficulty switching off, and a harsh internal voice that pushed him to override fatigue and dismiss his own needs. Small perceived mistakes triggered intense shame and rumination. While he was deeply compassionate towards patients, he struggled to direct the same understanding towards himself.
Using Compassion-Focused Therapy, sessions focused on helping James understand how his threat system had become chronically over-activated through years of high-pressure, high-stakes clinical work. Together, we explored how early experiences of responsibility and achievement had shaped a self-critical coping style that was once protective but was now driving burnout.
James learned practical tools to regulate his nervous system, including grounding and soothing rhythm breathing, alongside exercises to cultivate a more compassionate inner voice. Therapy also addressed fears that reducing self-criticism might lead to complacency or risk to patient care.
Over time, James reported improved emotional regulation, reduced self-criticism, and a greater ability to recover after demanding days. He felt more present at work and home, set clearer boundaries, and rediscovered a sense of meaning in his role, supported by a kinder relationship with himself. His wife felt like she had got her husband back too.
*James is a fictious character that I've created for the purposes of demonstrating how CFT works. The information here comes from many years experience working with similar themes arising from clients.