"Compassion, not just for ourselves and those around us, but for other living creatures and the planet itself!"

Dr Tara Hickey is a clinical psychologist in private practice at Victorian Counselling and Psychological Services (VCPS), as well as an adjunct research fellow at Monash University and University of Sydney. She recently completed her PhD on mindfulness and compassion, piloting and evaluating a mindfulness and compassion focused group program for youth with psychosis. She is also the Victorian representative for Compassionate Mind Australia (CMA).

Time Stamps:

3:32 Tell us a little bit about yourself.

6:33 What approaches were you originally using with young people at risk of psychosis?

10:02 How did you bring more compassion focused therapy into your work?

11:43 The PhD research brought together early intervention, mindfulness and compassion focused approaches.

16:50 How did young people receive the psychoeducation component of CFT?

18.37 How do you see the experience of psychosis and the three circles model fitting together?

25:55 What compassion skills were incorporated into the group for young people?

30:46 What were some of the challenges you noticed working with young people with compassion?

35:35 Can you describe some of the results of your research?

42:04 How have compassion and self-compassion found their way into your life, or made a difference for you?

45:10 What's next for you in terms of current or future projects?

48:40 What are three tips you would offer others who are making their way on their own compassionate journey?

51:20 Where can people find you, engage with you and/or your work?

Published Papers:

Evidence Map of Mindfulness for Stages of Psychosis: State of the Literature and Implications for Future Research https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12671-021-01611-x

The MAC‐P program: A pilot study of a mindfulness and compassion program for youth with psychotic experiences https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/eip.13085

The potential role of self-criticism in distress related to attenuated psychotic symptoms and implications for clinical trajectory https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0920996420303753?via%3Dihub

Mindfulness and compassion for youth with psychotic symptoms: A description of a group program and a consumer’s experience https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17522439.2019.1639800?journalCode=rpsy20

The use of formal criteria to assess psychological models of hallucinations: a systematic review https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17522439.2019.1607892?journalCode=rpsy20

Application of a mindfulness and compassion-based approach to the at-risk mental state: Mindfulness, compassion and the ARMS https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1111/cp.12132?journalCode=rcnp20

Websites:

VCPS - https://www.vcps.com.au/clinical-psychologist/dr-tara-hickey

CMA - https://www.compassionatemind.org.au/