Tools
Tools
Rammou, Aikaterini, Allan, Sophie M. 
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3601-0580, Dean-Tozer, Martha and Baker, James
(2025)
A qualitative evaluation of a compassion-focused therapy group intervention for UK healthcare staff at an acute hospital trust.
PLoS One, 20 (9 September).
pp. 1-20.
ISSN 1932-6203
Preview |
PDF (journal.pone.0333582)
- Published Version
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (719kB) | Preview |
Abstract
Healthcare staff can encounter empathy distress, burnout, and trauma, often responding with self-criticism rather than self-compassion, yet there remains limited evaluation of compassion-focused interventions for staff with mental health difficulties. This study qualitatively evaluated a compassion-focused therapy (CFT) group intervention offered to National Health System (NHS) staff with mental health difficulties and high self-criticism. A qualitative design using semi-structured interviews was used. Eight staff who attended a 12-week CFT group were interviewed about their experiences learning key CFT concepts, group-based learning, the intervention’s impact on their well-being, and suggestions for improvement. Reflexive thematic analysis was conducted. Participants found the group beneficial, emphasising the development of group safeness, which fostered connection and vulnerability through shared NHS and caregiver identities. CFT content was seen as highly relevant, addressing self-criticism, while helping participants label personal experiences and enhancing self-awareness. The group format fostered a shared understanding of human suffering, reduced feelings of isolation and widened participants’ perspectives through interpersonal learning. Participants reported acquiring skills to support their well-being, with some noting overall emotional improvement. Challenges included emotionally triggering content, highlighting the need for tailored support. Suggestions included smaller group sizes, flexible content delivery to meet individual and group needs, and additional support such as one-on-one sessions or booster sessions. Protected time from work, more information about the group process, and clear expectations were recommended to enhance group safeness and reduce initial hesitation. Group-based CFT was described as acceptable and beneficial, offering preliminary evidence for its potential to support NHS staff with mental health difficulties and pervasive self-criticism. Larger, mixed-method evaluations are recommended to explore the intervention’s broader impact and mechanisms.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Additional Information: | Acknowledgments We are grateful to the NHS staff who participated for their time. The authors have declared that there are no conflicts of interest in relation to the subject of this study. This work was undertaken as part of AR’s Clinical Psychology Doctorate at the University of East Anglia. |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | general,sdg 3 - good health and well-being,das in place,data cannot be shared publicly because it contains information collected under nhs service evaluation gover nance and is subject to the uk data protection act (2018) and the trust’s confidentiality policy. external researchers may submit a formal request to the nhs trust’s clinical audit department (clinicalaudit@wsh.nhs.uk) which would be reviewed by the trust’s information governance team and, if appropriate, approved by the caldicott guardian before any anony mised data could be shared. ,/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/1000 |
| Faculty \ School: | Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Norwich Medical School Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > School of Health Sciences |
| UEA Research Groups: | Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Centres > Mental Health and Social Care (fka Lifespan Health) |
| Related URLs: | |
| Depositing User: | LivePure Connector |
| Date Deposited: | 15 Oct 2026 13:58 |
| Last Modified: | 17 Oct 2026 13:11 |
| URI: | https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/104797 |
| DOI: | 10.1371/journal.pone.0333582 |
Downloads
Downloads per month over past year
Actions (login required)
 |
View Item |