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West Coast Psychosis Care and Connection: A Retreat on Humanistic Approaches

Harnessing Compassion in Working With Individuals Experiencing Psychosis

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Description

Although existing psychological interventions for distressing voices and beliefs can be beneficial, many individuals experience ongoing difficulties, highlighting the need for innovative approaches that directly target embodied threat processes and relational dynamics. Experiencing distressing voices or distressing beliefs is associated with heightened threat responses, shame, and maladaptive patterns of fear, submission, and conflict that contribute to psychological distress and functional impairment. Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) offers a framework for cultivating physiological safeness and compassionate motivation before engaging with threatening stimuli. This presentation will describe the theoretical framework for Compassion Focused Therapy, provide examples of CFT techniques applicable at the different stages of therapy intervention, and will introduce a novel nine-session intervention integrating CFT with Virtual Reality for individuals who experience distressing voices. The intervention is delivered in three phases: (1) activating safeness physiology, (2) developing self-compassionate relating, and (3) compassionately engaging with voice-hearing conflicts and associated threats. Therapist led VR-assisted exercises are combined with imagery and reflective practices to support embodied compassion and graded engagement with distress. The intervention is designed for outpatient clinical and research settings and for adults experiencing ongoing voice-related distress.

Learning Objectives

Participants will be able to:

  • Describe a theoretical definition of compassion.

  • Explain the role of the threat, drive, and soothing systems within CFT.

  • List 2-3 compassion focused therapy approaches for working with individuals experiencing distressing voices.

Educational Goal

The educational goal of this workshop is to strengthen clinicians’ capacity to work with distressing voices and beliefs by applying Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) to target threat-based and relational dynamics. Participants will learn how to cultivate physiological safeness, develop compassionate self-relating, and support patients in engaging with voice-hearing experiences in a more regulated and adaptive way. The session will also introduce a structured, phase-based CFT intervention enhanced with virtual reality, providing practical tools to facilitate embodied compassion and graded exposure to distress.

Target Audience

  • Addiction Professional
  • Counselor
  • Marriage & Family Therapist
  • Nurse
  • Physician
  • Psychologist
  • Social Worker

Presenters

Kate Hardy, PsyD
Kate Hardy, Clin.Psych.D is a Clinical Professor at Stanford University and California Licensed Psychologist who has specialized in working with individuals with psychosis for over 20 years in research, service development and clinical settings. Dr. Hardy received her doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Liverpool, United Kingdom and completed her post-doctoral fellowship at UCSF. She directs the INSPIRE Training center, is the Co-Director of the INSPIRE Psychosis clinic and INSPIRE 360, co-leads the national Psychosis-Risk and Early Psychosis Program Network (PEPPNET) and is President Elect of IEPA: Early Intervention and Prevention in Mental Health Association. She has published numerous papers and co-edited two books including Intervening Early in Psychosis: A Team Approach and Decoding Delusions: A Clinician’s Guide to Working with Delusions and Other Extreme Beliefs. She provides psychosocial interventions for individuals with psychosis, and their families, and is an internationally recognized trainer in CBT for psychosis and early psychosis models of care.

Financially Sponsored By

  • Ellenhorn