A Pilot RCT Examining the Effectiveness of CMT for Healthcare Staff

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the critical need for evidence-based interventions to support the psychological wellbeing of healthcare staff, particularly within Occupational Health settings. Recent research has documented significant mental health challenges among healthcare professionals, including high rates of burnout and stress. Fostering self-compassion has emerged as a key area for intervention. This study aims to pilot and assess the effectiveness of an online compassion-based intervention for healthcare staff, using a randomised Treatment As Usual (TAU) control group. The intervention will be grounded in Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) and Compassionate Mind Training (CMT). CFT aims to shift focus from self-blame and shame to self-compassion, while CMT involves specific techniques to cultivate compassionate attitudes.

The four-week online intervention, led by a CMT expert, will include mindfulness practices such as attention training, imagery, and behaviour-based exercises designed to foster an identity grounded in compassion. The sample will consist of healthcare professionals accessing Occupational Health service in Belfast Health and Social Care Trust (BHSCT) for psychological assessment. Participants who meet inclusion criteria will be randomly assigned to either the intervention group or the TAU control group.

Questionnaires will be administered online at four time points: pre-intervention,mid intervention, post-intervention, and at one-month follow-up. The measures will assess mental health, burnout, self-compassion, fear of self-compassion and credibility and expectancy of treatment. Participants will be recruited through BHSCT Occupational Health Service and will be screened to meet inclusion criteria by the clinician completing psychological assessment. If the client agrees to be contacted by the researcher their name will be added to a study spreadsheet by their clinician and they will be contacted by the researcher to provide further information and obtain informed consent. Data will be collected electronically using Microsoft Forms and stored securely on an encrypted Trust-based database.