CFT stands for Compassion-Focused Therapy, which is a relatively new psychotherapy approach that aims to help promote mental and emotional healing by encouraging people in treatment to be compassionate. It is grounded in current understanding of basic emotion regulation systems: the threat and self-protection system, the drive and excitement system, and the contentment and social safeness system. The aim of CFT is to bring these three affect systems into balance. CFT can be helpful to people who find it challenging to understand, feel, or express compassion, as therapy can be a safe place in which to discover any reasons behind this difficulty and explore methods of positive change. It can also be effective at helping people manage distressing thoughts, behaviors, and feelings of any kind but may be particularly helpful when dealing with feelings associated with self-attack.
CFT is not the only meaning of CFT. It can also stand for Child and Family Team, which is a defined group of people that may include the child, DCS Specialist and his/her caregiver, a behavioral health professional, and other people who can help the child. The size, scope, and intensity of involvement of the team members are determined by the goal established for the child, the needs of the family in providing for the child, and the resources needed to develop an effective service plan. People can join or leave the CFT as needed to make sure the child gets the best care.
