Dr Chris Irons
"I'm hoping [to help] people access ideas about how and why life can be hard, how our brains can sometimes add extra distress to the struggles we encounter in life, and how compassion can be a powerful way to help ourselves (and others) to manage difficulties when they arise."
Biography
Dr Chris Irons is a clinical psychologist, researcher, writer and trainer specialising in Compassion Focused Therapy.
He is co-director of Balanced Minds, a London based organisation providing compassion-focused psychological interventions for individuals and organisations. He also works for the Compassionate Mind Foundation, and as a Visiting Lecturer at the University of Derby.
For almost two decades, Chris has worked with Professor Paul Gilbert and other colleagues on research and clinical developments linked to CFT. He was involved in some of the initial research papers and book chapters on CFT (Gilbert & Irons, 2004, 2005), and has published many articles and book chapters on compassion, attachment, shame and self-criticism. He has authored five books, including ‘The Compassionate Mind Workbook’ (with Dr Elaine Beaumont) and ‘CFT from the Inside Out’ (with Russell Kolts, James Bennett-Levy and Tobyn Bell), and ‘The Compassionate Mind Approach for Difficult Emotions’.
Chris regularly provides CFT teaching, training, workshops and retreats across the world. Chris is an experienced clinician, having worked in the NHS and in independent practice for many years. He has recently been leading on the development of compassion based approaches for the general public to help people develop a more compassionate way of relating to themselves and others.