Our only request to you is that the delivery of the group embraces a philosophy that reflects compassion, acceptance and partnership working, as these are the cornerstones to the success of the group. We always say, at the beginning of a group, that we will learn together over the six weeks of the course through sharing, respect and humility. For some mothers it is their first experience of being treated with respect and with kindness.

Our group work is influenced by the work of Professor Paul Gilbert who is a great source of inspiration. Professor Gilbert has studied for many years the role of the ‘compassionate voice’ in cognitive therapy and argues for the advantages of clients developing a compassionate inner voice. He believes that the therapist (or in this case group facilitators) acts as a good role model for promoting this by using phrasing and a tone of voice that communicates support, caring and acceptance. The therapist, in this way, is delivering therapy not merely by support and discussion but also through acting as a role model as to what compassion actually is in real terms.