Investigating the utility of Compassionate Mind Training for ex-service personnel and their partners

Brief name: Compassionate Mind Training (CMT) The intervention is Compassionate Mind Training which will be delivered in 2x 2hr weekly sessions for 6 weeks (a total of 12 2hr sessions). The intervention will be delivered 4 times during the period of August - December 2018 (a total of 40 participants). The mode of delivery will be face-to-face in a group setting with 10 participants in each group (5 ex-service personnel and 5 partners). The intervention will be delivered at Greenslopes Private Hospital, Newdegate Street, Greenslopes 4120. The training will be facilitated by two clinical psychologists who are trained in the delivery of CMT. One clinical psychologist has 5 years of experience and the other clinical psychologist has 23 years of experience as a psychologist. The CMT will cover topics such as: Mindfulness and focused attention Soothing rhythm breathing (SRB Creating a safe place Compassion focused imagery Compassion as a flow Developing the compassionate self Developing an ideal compassionate other Our different parts Engaging with self-criticism using the compassionate self Managing difficult emotions such as guilt and shame Developing compassionate assertive communication skills Each 2 hour CMT session will include: 5 minutes of mindfulness, 10 minutes of homework review, 45 minutes education lecture on the relevant topic, 45 minutes of practical exercises and discussion, 15 minutes of homework setting and wrap up. The intervention is a standardised psychological treatment program and will not be changed, personalised or adapted to the particular group of participants. Its fidelity/adherence will not be assessed for this pilot study.