Compassion is a big buzzword right now in healthcare, but what does it really mean and how can you actually be more compassionate?

This week Paula is joined by clinical psychologist Dr Chris Irons, an expert in Compassionate Mind Training.

The pair examine what compassion is, why it matters and how it can be applied within organisations and teams as well as on a personal level. Chris discusses why self-compassion is such a tricky concept, especially for health professionals and how this is a skill that is something we can learn, for the benefit of ourselves and our patients.

This week there is also a bonus episode of an exercise to help you warm up your compassion muscles for work - so keep an eye out for that in your podcast app.

Chris is Co-Director of Balanced Minds and BalO.

He has written a number of books, including:

• The Compassionate Mind Workbook
• The Compassionate Mind Approach to Difficult Emotions : Using Compassion Focused Therapy

He also runs an online self-compassion course and has developed the Self-Compassion App.

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