Compassion-focused therapy with autistic adults
This publication is included in the Autistic Autism Scholarship Project. two authors of this publication are identified as autistic in the project.
About the autistic author markerMason, D., Acland, J., Stark, E., Happé, F., & Spain, D. (2023). Compassion-focused therapy with autistic adults. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1267968-1267968. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1267968
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Authors
Abstract
Some autistic adults experience repeated adverse events, including rejection, victimization and stigmatization. They also describe others being critical and negatively judging them, such as for how they socially interact or for expressing passion for particular interests. The impact of these adverse events can be substantial, including increasing vulnerability for poorer mental health, and contributing to development of negative self beliefs (such as “I am different” or “I do not fit in”) and shame-based difficulties. Not all evidence-based psychological therapies are well-received by autistic people, or effective. Given high rates of self-harm and suicidality, finding acceptable and effective therapies for autistic adults is paramount. Here, writing as autistic and non-autistic clinicians and researchers, we outline the theoretical principles of compassion-focused theory and therapy (CFT). We propose that: (1) compassion-focused theory can provide a useful framework for conceptualizing shame-based difficulties some autistic adults experience; (2) CFT can be appropriate for addressing these; and (3) there is an impetus for practitioners to adopt compassion-focused approaches when supporting autistic adults.
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These indicators describe the bibliography cited by this publication. An author name is counted each time it appears in one cited reference, so the same person can be counted more than once. Names not yet linked to an author already present in AutiHub are treated as unknown, not as non-autistic. Last computed: 19 Sep 2026 23:31.
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