Self‐Compassion in Clinical Practice

Self‐compassion is conceptualized as containing 3 core components: self‐kindness versus self‐judgment, common humanity versus isolation, and mindfulness versus overidentification, when relating to painful experiences. Research evidence demonstrates that self‐compassion is related to psychological flourishing and reduced psychopathology. Mindful Self‐Compassion (MSC) is an 8‐week training program, meeting 2.5 hours each week, designed to help participants cultivate self‐compassion. MSC contains a variety of meditations (e.g., loving‐kindness, affectionate breathing) as well as informal practices for use in daily life (e.g., soothing touch, self‐compassionate letter writing). A detailed clinical case illustrates the journey of a client through the 8 weeks of MSC training, describing the key features of each session and the client's response.