State of the art science has established that from the moment we are born until the moment we die, our experience of compassion will directly shape how healthy, happy and effective we can be. Increasingly, we find compassion to be a central and active process in psychological change and human well-being.

The Compassionate Mind Foundation-USA (CMF-USA) is committed to research, training and dissemination of Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT), a form of psychotherapy derived from research in developmental psychology, emotional neuroscience, evolutionary psychology, and Buddhism.

CFT is a rapidly growing evidence based treatment method for a range of psychological problems. The CMF-USA is involved in implementing compassion focused training systems and innovations at the level of individuals, groups and larger organizations. We are committed to the vision of CFT as developed and researched by CFT founder, Professor Paul Gilbert, PhD, OBE. 

We share the mission of our pioneering colleagues in the UK -  to pursue the alleviation of human suffering through psychological science and engaged action.  

This website is your portal to a remarkable depth of education, training, supervision, and ongoing exploration of Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) and the applied science of compassion. 


“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”
— His Holiness The Fourteenth Dalai Lama

Compassion Focused Therapy and Compassion Informed Interventions have been researched and applied to a wide range of problems and interests, including:

  • Shame-based difficulties and self-criticism
  • anxiety
  • psychosis
  • personality disorders
  • building compassionate management in organizations
  • anger management problems
  • mood disorders
  • eating disorders
  • smoking cessation
  • education