Integrating Self-Compassion into Therapy

For many clinicians, the value of self-compassion is clear – yet helping clients access genuine compassion for themselves can be surprisingly difficult. Self-criticism, shame, and trauma often interrupt a client’s ability to relate to themselves with warmth, making therapeutic progress slower and more painful than it needs to be. This workshop addresses that gap by offering a practical and research-informed roadmap for bringing self-compassion more explicitly and effectively into clinical work.

Drawing on the rapidly expanding evidence base – now over 7,000 published studies – Dr. Chris Germer will introduce Self-Compassion–Based Therapy as described in the new book Grounding Psychotherapy in Self-Compassion. Participants will explore the three core levels of integrating self-compassion into psychotherapy: cultivating a compassionate presence, strengthening a compassionate therapeutic relationship, and offering compassionate interventions. Throughout, Dr. Germer will highlight how self-compassion functions as a transdiagnostic and transtheoretical mechanism of change, with particular attention to applications in trauma and shame.

This workshop is designed to be both informative and experiential. Participants will engage in guided practices, observe demonstrations, and have opportunities for reflection and discussion. The goal is to help clinicians not only understand the model but begin to feel how self-compassion can shift their work – supporting both client transformation and clinician well-being.

You will learn how to:

Design effective home practices to help clients cultivate self-compassion between sessions and enhance therapeutic outcomes.

Describe the three components of self-compassion and why they matter in clinical work.

Explain the three levels of integrating self-compassion into psychotherapy.

Strengthen and maintain a grounded, compassionate therapeutic presence.