Compassion focused therapy was developed by the psychologist Paul Gilbert and is based in understandings from neuroscience, evolutionary psychology and ancient wisdom. Compassion is defined in this approach as “a sensitivity to suffering in self and others together with the commitment to try and alleviate and prevent it” (Gilbert & Choden 2013). This means compassion requires both courage and kindness. 

An important starting point for development of a more compassionate approach to both self and others is to better understand how our minds and emotions work and the ways in which this can lead to suffering. This insight has been successfully applied to better understand how teams can function more compassionately and with the benefits of compassionate wisdom. There is clear evidence that compassionate approaches in organisations lead to high levels of wellbeing, lower levels of burnout and better quality work.