Effectiveness of Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT)

Stopped early · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Compassion, Self-Criticism, Shame, Guilt

In brief

The proposed study is a randomized controlled trial (RCT) that takes place at Brigham Young University's (BYU) Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS). The proposed study follows from the CAPS open trial which led to revisions of the compassion-focused therapy (CFT) protocol authored by Paul Gilbert. In essence, the study is taking existing evidence-based group treatments offered at CAPS, and comparing patient outcomes in a systematic manner. The investigators intend to replicate the improvement rates observed in the open trial with the revised CFT protocol and ascertain if outcomes are comparable to members who receive treatment-as-usual-TAU CAPS groups and those receiving CFT. Hypotheses: 1. Group members attending a 12-session CFT group will have higher levels of compassion and self-reassurance as well as lower levels of self-criticism (and self-hate), fears of compassion, shame, and psychiatric distress when compared to members attending the parallel TAU groups. 2. Amount of change in compassion, self-reassurance, self-criticism (and self-hate), fears of compassion, and shame will be comparable for CFT measures authored by Dr. Gilbert as measures developed by independent compassion researchers. 3. There will be comparable levels of change in general psychiatric distress, as measured by the Outcome Questionnaire -45 (OQ-45), in members attending CFT and TAU groups. However, there will be greater change in members attending CFT groups on measures of compassion. 4. CFT will lead to lower levels of internalized shame through the mechanisms of fear reduction and increases in the 3 flows of compassion.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT05044715

Run by

Brigham Young University

People needed

14

Starts

2022-08-29

Expected to finish

2023-05-31

Last updated by the study team

2023-06-09

Who can join

Age: 18 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Struggles with issues of shame or self-criticism
• Have an Outcome Questionnaire (OQ-45) total score at or above 64 (i.e., denoting psychiatric distress in the clinical range)
• Are willing to commit to at least 4 sessions of group treatment
• Are willing to complete the OQ-45 and GQ (standardized CAPS measures) on a weekly basis
• Are willing to have group be their primary mode of treatment to ensure group will be the primary vehicle for change
• Are willing to complete the study measures

You may not qualify if…

• Clients who do not meet criteria or decline to participate

Where it is running

• Brigham Young University — Provo, Utah, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

Trial information comes from ClinicalTrials.gov and is refreshed daily. TrialsForMe does not provide medical care and does not run the studies it lists.