Olivia is a licensed psychologist in both the UK and California and has a practice in San Anselmo in Marin, California. She specializes in CFT and is also a certified schema therapist, mindfulness and yoga teacher. She works with adults and has been practicing CFT for over fifteen years.

I am an experienced psychotherapist and since qualifying with an MSc in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy in 2004 have worked as a psychotherapist within the NHS however have worked within mental health services since 1996. I continue to work in the NHS part-time but also have a small private practice. I am accredited with the British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapists and with EMDR UK and EMDR Europe.

I undertook the Compassion Focused Therapy Post Graduate Certificate 2014-2015 and have subsequently attended many of the varied workshops that the Compassionate Mind Foundation Offer and have delivered training in CFT.

Since 2022 I have been a supervisor on the CMF Diploma programme and receive regular supervision from an experienced CFT supervisor. I also offer supervision outside of this programme.

For private therapy I work remotely and have experience of working with a range of psychological and mental health difficulties.

Dr Ash is a HCPC registered Clinical Psychologist Chartered with the British Psychological Society.
She gained her Clinical Psychology Doctorate with Staffordshire University and has extensive experience within the NHS, third sector and Independent Sector working with children, young people and their families with a range of difficulties.
Dr Ash has a specialist interest in working with children and young people with anxiety and trauma related difficulties, as well as supporting parental wellbeing and mental health.
Examples of the difficulties Dr Ash works with are obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), panic, Emotionally Based School Non-Attendance (EBSnA), social anxiety, PTSD and relational trauma. She also works with parents who experienced complex trauma themselves and parents whose family journey has been different to what they had expected due to their child having additional needs or disabilities. Dr Ash also provides post diagnosis support for parents and children, following a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
Dr Ash works one to one with parents and/or children, and dyadically with parent(s) and their child together.
Provides:
• Therapeutic assessments for children, teens and parents
• Psychological therapy
• Post ASD diagnosis support for parents

I have a clinical background spanning over 10 years and have experience of working with people across the lifespan, within the role as a Registered Mental Health Nurse and Psychotherapist. I have maintained various employments within NHS services working with children, adolescents, families and adults and have worked with more complex mental health and neurodevelopmental problems in children and young people. Of central importance is my experience working with those who have experienced trauma and maltreatment, particularly from a young age and where neurodevelopmental concerns, such as Autism and ADHD, are present.

I have has also led workshops, webinars and lectures on various mental health related issues, often to undergraduate nursing students at the University of Stirling. Out with my clinical work I have experience and an active portfolio of Quality Improvement (QI) work with a keen focus of using QI methodology to implement and evaluate therapeutic services. I am also a supervisor for those qualified and delivering Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT).

I hold a specialist interest in maltreatment associated psychological problems, and works well with those who have experienced psychological trauma. Clinically I hold specialist training and interest in the delivery of Compassion Focused Therapy, of central importance Compassion Focused Group Psychotherapy (CFGP), and Compassion Focused Staff Support. I maintain monthly supervision with Dr Kate Lucre within the delivery of both approaches. I am also interested in the application of CFT within both a Coaching and a Family Therapy framework.

I believe that talking therapy can enrich life, by helping us to identify what is really important and to focus our energies effectively, as well as addressing difficulties or stuck points. My areas of expertise include helping people to overcome depression, increase motivation, manage worries, resolve conflicts and improve communication in relationships. My clients describe me as friendly, professional and a good listener.

I am a bilingual Clinical Psychologist, and can offer my clients sessions in English or Russian. Alongside my work as a Senior Psychologist in the NHS, I offer independent consultation, assessments, talking therapy and group workshops. I am Chartered by the British Psychological Society, and accredited by the Health and Care Professions Council. I am experienced in providing individually tailored, evidence based therapies, as recommended by the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence.

I am passionate about working with people who have experienced stress, distress or difficulties with mental health, as well as those who want to develop their communication skills and improve relationships with others. I specialise in cognitive behavioural therapies (CBT), Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) and Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing therapy (EMDR), as well as narrative, solution-focused and systemic approaches. I work flexibly, integrating multiple therapeutic models to meet the needs and preferences of each individual.

Founding partner of the Center for the Promotion of Mindfulness. Clinical Psychologist, Master in Psychology (UFJF), PhD in Sciences, where (UNIFESP), where was also a founding member of the Brazilian Center for Research and Training in Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention (MBRP Brazil).
Certified in Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention (MBRP) from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, Advanced Teacher Training in MBRP from the Centre for Addiction Treatment Studies – Warminster UK. Training in the Compassion Cultivation Training – CCT program by Stanford University and Nirakara Institute (Spain) and in the Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) Program offered by Mente Aberta, in partnership with the Oxford Mindfulness Centre. Finishing the Diploma in Compassion-Focused Therapy from the Compassionate Mind Foundation and member of the Compassionate Mind Association (CMF affiliate in Brazil).
I offer online CFT clinical psychotherapy (since 2020 with an average of 20 weekly clinical hours) and supervision.

Sou psicóloga clínica com gradução e mestrado pela Universidade de São Paulo, especializada no tratamento da ansiedade, autocrítica severa, estresse e depressão. Ofereço atendimento psicoterapeutico online e trabalhos terapêuticos em grupo, como Treino da Mente Compassiva, cursos e workshops. Além disso, ofereço supervisão em TFC individualmente e em grupos.

Ao longo dos anos tenho utilizado processos terapêuticos centrados em Mindfulness e Compaixão e observado resultados profundos e positivos de transformação e desenvolvimento do equilíbrio emocional em meus pacientes.

Atuo na área desde 2006, sendo membro fundadora da Associação Brasileira de Terapia Focada na Compaixão – instituição para formação e pesquisa em Terapia Focada na Compaixão, filiada à Compassionate Mind Fountation UK.

Minhas principais formações são em Terapia Focada na Compaixão (Compassionate Mind Foundation), Teacher Trained do Programa Mindfulness e Autocompaixão (UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness), Self-Compassion in Psychotherapy (UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness), Psicoterapia Contemplativa (Nalanda Institute – NY) e Terapia Somática para o Trauma (Somatic Experiencing®). Como supervisora, recebi treinamento pela Compassionate Mind Foundation para supervisores, tendo como professores Wendy Wood, Paul Gilbert e Kate Lucre.

A psicoterapia é um meio hábil pelo qual podemos florescer e descobrir nossa sabedoria e nossa melhor versão. Sou apaixonada pela minha profissão e profundamente agradecida a cada pessoa que tive e tenho o privilégio de trabalhar em colaboração!

I am a CBT and Compassion Focused Therapist with 23 years of experience working in different settings (NHS and private practice) and with diverse backgrounds. I am also a trained Mindfulness teacher and trained in Mindfulness Self Compassion by Chris Germer and Kristin Neff. When I came across Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) I fell in love with it. Since 2012 CFT is the main therapy approach I use in my work with clients and I am passionate about teaching people the tools to become more compassionate with themselves as well as using it in my own life.

I have found Compassion Focused Therapy to be a very powerful and transformational model to help clients with problems of shame and self-criticism but also with all kinds of difficulties. Every single one of us can benefit from applying the principles of CFT in our lives. Life can be hard for all and it is invaluable to have the skills to support ourselves when we are emotionally challenged.

These are some of the ingredients of Compassion Focused Therapy that made me fall in love with it: It highlights the importance of the emotional brain and working with the body rather than just relying on using logic to support ourselves emotionally. In my experience this is often overlooked in other approaches like CBT. This also allows me to integrate my training in Mindfulness which focuses on working with emotions in the body.

Another aspect of CFT which I like is how it has created a highly effective blend of various disciplines and models. In particular, the emphasis on evolutionary psychology and understanding how our brains are programmed. This is extremely helpful and can lead to lots of insightful ‘aha moments. The use of imagery exercises as a way to access the ‘emotional brain’ is hugely powerful and therapeutic and can easily be turned into self-soothing skills.

One of the key CFT messages is that we are all in the same boat; there is a ‘we-ness’ not a you-the-client and me-the-therapist. It also highlights the message that any issues that we struggle with are not our fault but it is our responsibility to learn how to manage them. This is both validating and de-shaming as well as encouraging and hope inducing.

Finally, one of the CFT frameworks I use most is ‘multiple selves’. This refers to becoming aware of different parts or ‘selves’ that we all have and the fact that they are all trying to help us. Even if some of them have unhelpful consequences because they are misguided and acting in line with previous painful experiences, they actually mean well. Learning how to respond to them with compassion and understanding can be extremely therapeutic and transformative leading to a sense of inner peace rather than internal battles within ourselves.

Out of all the training that I have done in my 23 years of working as a therapist, CFT is certainly the most powerful and transformative approach I have learnt. I have found it highly beneficial not only when I have used it with clients but in my own personal life too.

Areas that I specialise in and have extensive experience of are:

• Phobias including social phobia
• Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
• Panic attacks and Panic Disorder
• Depression
• Workplace stress and performance stress
• PTSD
• Perfectionism
• Self criticism/High levels of shame
• Sleep problems and insomnia
• Anger management
• Bereavement
• Eating disorders including binge eating

I am also a specialist in treating Obsessional Disorders (OCD, Body Dysmorphic Disorder, Health Anxiety and Vomit phobia).

I’ve written a chapter on using the Compassionate Mind approach to treating BDD which is included in this book:
Trauma informed and Embodied approaches to Body Dysmorphic Disorder. Edited by Nicole Schnackenberg.

I also did a webinar on using Compassion Focused Therapy with Body Dysmorphic Disorder for the BDD Foundation which you can find on their website.

Please get in touch if you would like to discuss how I might be able to help you.

I began my training in Compassion Focus Therapy in 2015 with Dr. Paul Gilbert. In 2016 I took the advanced course. Since then I have been including the foundations of CFT in my own personal and professional practice as a psychologist, supporting it with the reading of manuals and scientific articles.

In 2022 I began to collaborate in the Compassionate Mind Spain Association and I am currently part of the association’s board of directors and the teaching team.

I believe that we are all equal human beings, who may be different from one another but not less. I am a believer of our inherent potential to heal in the face of suffering. However, this potential might sometimes be blocked by our mind, heart and body’s learnt responses that are no longer effective. I strongly believe that we could and should turn towards ourselves and our sufferings with compassion (understanding, sensitivity, kind intention, caring/courageous acts) to facilitate our healing and growth.

I am a clinical psychologist in Singapore. I currently provide psychotherapy for young adults to older adults of different ethnicity and/or faith with mental health and emotional issues (e.g., complex trauma, anxiety, depression, health-related issues) in a public hospital. I am very interested in the application of CFT to different conditions and issues, as well as the compassion-focused understanding of distress/life across cultures and faiths. I have also recently started to introduce CFT to Chinese-speaking clients in Singapore.

In addition, I am also trained in cognitive-behavioural therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, basic dialectical behavioural therapy, and basic schema-informed therapy.

In 2017, I received a Master’s degree in clinical psychology and neuropsychology.

During my studies, I worked for two years as a research assistant at the Laboratory of Neuropsychology of the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology in Warsaw. I also completed several clinical internships, for example, at the Warsaw Central Clinical Hospital and the Warsaw Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology. After my studies, I worked as a clinical psychologist and research assistant at the Warsaw Medical Centre for Postgraduate Education.

I obtained my therapist’s license after completing a four-year postgraduate training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) at the Warsaw University of Social Sciences and Humanities, accredited by the European Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies.

I have also completed a 1-year postgraduate diploma in Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) at The Compassionate Mind Foundation, organized by the founder of CFT, Paul Gilbert, and accredited by the British Psychological Society.

In addition, I’m a board member of the Mindfulness Development Foundation which conducts teacher training in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) together with The Oxford Mindfulness Foundation (OMF) based at the University of Oxford. I completed OMF’s MBCT teacher training in 2020 and I’m currently in the final certification process.

I offer individual and couples online psychotherapy.