In the final guest interview of 2025, I’m joined by someone whose work has profoundly shaped the way we think about compassion, connection, and healing in groups: Dr Derek Griner, Clinical Professor and Associate Training Director in Counseling Psychology at Brigham Young University.

Derek is one of the leading voices in developing Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) for groups, co-authoring the CFT Participant Workbook and Clinician Guide, contributing major research and book chapters, and recently developing a new process-oriented CFT group approach alongside Professor Paul Gilbert during his sabbatical in the UK.

In this conversation, Derek and I explore the heart of compassion-focused group psychotherapy — where connection, courage, curiosity, and vulnerability become powerful agents of change. We talk about why groups offer something unique that individual therapy can’t, how the “three flows” of compassion come alive between people, and what it looks like when a facilitator stays flexible enough to follow the “oasis moments” that emerge in real time.

Derek shares rich examples from his clinical work, including a moving story about misnaming a group member and how that moment — full of embarrassment, apology, courage, and compassion — became a profound teaching point for the whole group. We also dive into cultural adaptation, therapist characteristics, compassionate composure, and the future of CFT groups across cultures and contexts.

It’s a beautiful, thoughtful, and fitting way to close out the year. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction and Year in Review

00:52 Introducing Dr. Derek Griner

03:09 Dr. Griner's Journey into Group Therapy

06:25 The Power of Connection in Group Therapy

08:08 Compassion Focused Therapy in Groups

11:44 The Role of Flexibility in Group Therapy

18:52 Challenges and Opportunities in Group Therapy

24:30 Real-Life Examples and Insights

27:48 Exploring CFT Principles in Real-Life Scenarios

28:58 The Power of Apology and Forgiveness in Therapy

31:05 Therapist Vulnerability and Authentic Connection

34:19 The Role of Therapist Characteristics

39:12 Recognizing Compassionate Connection in Groups

45:19 Cultural Adaptation in CFT

52:42 The Future of Compassion Focused Therapy for Groups

56:26 Final Thoughts and Gratitude

Links:

For Dr Griner’s contact, books, resources and trainings, go to his page on the BYU website:

https://caps.byu.edu/directory/derek-griner 

If you would like to learn more about compassion focused therapy, you can find Dr Stan Steindl's book The Gifts of Compassion here: https://www.ausapress.com/p/the-gifts-of-compassion-how-to-understand-and-overcome-suffering/ 

Say hi on social: 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drstansteindl 

Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/StanSteindl 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr_stan_steindl/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stan-steindl-150a5264/ 

Website: https://www.stansteindl.com/ 

YouTube Video URL: https://youtu.be/1OhQtpgrZZU 

*Affiliate Disclaimer: Note this description contains affiliate links that allow you to find the items mentioned in this video and support the channel at no cost to you. While this channel may earn minimal sums when the viewer uses the links, the viewer is in no way obligated to use these links. Thank you for your support! 

Video hashtags:

compassionfocusedtherapy, grouptherapy, compassioninatshirt, mentalhealth, psychotherapy, cftgroups