Dennis Tirch, PhD, is founder and director of The Centre for
Mindfulness and Compassion Focused Therapy in New York and the
Compassionate Mind Foundation USA. An internationally-known expert
on compassion-focused psychology, Tirch is the author of several
books, including The Compassionate-Mind Guide to Overcoming
Anxiety. Tirch is assistant clinical professor at Weill Cornell
Medical College in New York, NY and trains psychotherapists
throughout the world in applied mindfulness, acceptance, and
compassion.
Benjamin Schoendorff, MA, MSc, is a licensed psychologist in
Quebec, Canada and founder of the Contextual Psychology Institute.
An acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) pioneer in the
French-speaking world, he has authored, coauthored, and coedited
several books about ACT and functional analytic psychotherapy
(FAP), including The ACT Matrix with coeditor Kevin Polk. A
peer-reviewed ACT trainer and certified FAP trainer, Shoendorff
gives training workshops across the world. He lives near Montreal
in Quebec, Canada, where he works as a researcher at the Montreal
Mental Health University Institute.
Laura R. Silberstein, PsyD, is a licensed psychologist in New York
and New Jersey. Silberstein is the director of The Centre for
Mindfulness and Compassion-Focused Therapy in New York and has
advanced training in evidence-based therapies such as
compassion-focused therapy (CFT), acceptance and commitment therapy
(ACT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and cognitive behavior
therapy (CBT) for adults and adolescents. Silberstein is also a
clinical supervisor, CFT trainer, and coauthor of Buddhist
Psychology and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.
Foreword writer Paul Gilbert, PhD, is world-renowned for his work
on depression, shame, and self-criticism. He is the head of the
mental health research unit at the University of Derby in the
United Kingdom, founder of compassion-focused therapy (CFT), and
author of several books, including The Compassionate Mind and
Overcoming Depression.
Foreword writer Steven C. Hayes, PhD, is Nevada Foundation
Professor in the department of psychology at the University of
Nevada, NV. An author of thirty-four books and more than 470
scientific articles, his research focuses on how language and
thought lead to human suffering. Hayes is cofounder of acceptance
and commitment therapy (ACT)- a powerful therapy method that is
useful in a wide variety of areas-and has served as president of
several scientific societies. He has received several national
awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award from the
Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies.
"The ACT Practitioner's Guide to the Science of Compassion by
Tirch, Schoendorff, and Silberstein is an excellent integration of
acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and compassion-focused
therapy (CFT). User-friendly and filled with insights and clinical
examples, this book will open new possibilities in therapy. Highly
recommended."
--Robert Leahy, PhD, director of the American Institute for
Cognitive Therapy
"An elegant synthesis of ancient wisdom and modern science. Packed
full of powerful insights and practical tools, this book is an
incredibly useful resource not just for acceptance and commitment
therapy (ACT) practitioners, but for anyone with an interest in
compassion. Highly recommended!"
--Russ Harris, author of The Happiness Trap and ACT Made Simple
"Compassion is a defining aspect of humanity that contributed to
the survival of our species. In addition, compassion is one of the
common elements of all world religions and at the heart of clinical
practice. In this remarkable volume, Tirch, Schoendorff, and
Silberstein examine the many aspects of compassion within the
context of modern cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Highly
accessible, this remarkable book provides clinicians with concrete
recommendations to cultivate compassion and implement it into
clinical practice. This book is a must-read."
--Stefan G. Hofmann, PhD, professor of psychology at Boston
University, MA, and author of An Introduction to Modern CBT:
Psychological Solutions to Mental Health Problems
"Compassion is one of--if not the most--powerful antidotes to human
suffering. More than 2,600 years of collective wisdom and a decade
of psychological research teaches us why that is so. But why is
compassion so elusive? How do we harness the power of compassion to
alleviate forms of human suffering and to promote psychological
health? This intriguing, insightful, and immensely practical book
offers answers to these and other questions, and will show you how
to put compassion into action. Though written with acceptance and
commitment therapy (ACT) practitioners in mind, this book goes into
territory that can be readily adapted within any form of mental
health practice. I am grateful to the authors for giving us this
clinically rich book. It is a gift and a must-read for all mental
health professionals."
--John P. Forsyth, PhD, professor of psychology and director of the
Anxiety Disorders Research Program at the University at Albany, NY,
and coauthor of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Anxiety
Disorders, The Mindfulness and Acceptance Workbook for Anxiety, ACT
on Life Not on Anger, and Your Life on Purpose
"Evolutionary science is providing us with a deeper understanding
of the centrality of connection in human well-being. As result, the
science of compassion is growing dramatically and compassion is
taking a critical place in the study and practice of empirical
clinical psychology. Tirch, Schoendorff, and Silberstein provide
welcome guidance for clinicians interested in a more explicit focus
on compassion in their work."
--Kelly G. Wilson, PhD, associate professor of psychology at the
University of Mississippi, MS, and coauthor of Acceptance and
Commitment Therapy
"From my first encounter with acceptance and commitment therapy
(ACT) to my romps with functional analytic psychotherapy (FAP) and
compassion-focused therapy (CFT), I have felt an inherent pulse of
compassion in the processes and interventions that are built into
these psychotherapeutic approaches. In The ACT Practitioner's Guide
to the Science of Compassion, the authors bring together theory,
science, and application in a way that easily guides the clinician
to understanding compassion and its place in the contextual
behavioral therapies, while also weaving the cloth of engagement
and flexibility into deepening the sense of connection to others
and what it means to be human. An essential read for all those
determined to create a more compassionate world!"
--Robyn D. Walser, PhD, associate clinical professor at the
University of California, Berkeley, CA, and associate director for
the National Center for PTSD, Dissemination and Training
Division
"This comprehensive compendium on compassion will satisfy
practitioners who hunger for theory and conceptual analysis, as
well as those who want innovative and step-by-step treatment tools.
This book belongs in the library of any clinician who wants to
deepen the impact of their therapeutic relationships using not only
their intellect, but their heart."
--Mavis Tsai, PhD, coauthor of Functional Analytic Psychotherapy:
Creating Intensive and Curative Therapeutic Relationships and
senior research scientist and director of the FAP Specialty Clinic
in the Psychological Services and Training Center at the University
of Washington, WA
"This is a truly unique book that examines the points of
intersection between acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and
other approaches to mindfulness and self-compassion. While having a
remarkable level of detail and theoretical sophistication, the book
also provides case examples and easy, practical techniques to help
therapists integrate compassion practice into their work with
clients in a meaningful way."
--Kristin Neff, PhD, associate professor in educational psychology
at the University of Texas at Austin, TX, pioneering researcher
into the mental health benefits of self-compassion, and author of
Self-Compassion
"This is the book I've waited for--a guide that melds acceptance
and commitment therapy (ACT) processes with the transformative
power of compassion. Values, defusion, committed action,
self-as-context--every component of ACT is strengthened as we learn
to access and use compassion."
--Matthew McKay, PhD, coauthor of Your Life on Purpose
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