Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) 

CFT, one of the 'third-wave' cognitive approaches, is a system of psychotherapy that integrates techniques from CBT with concepts from evolutionary psychology, social psychology, developmental psychology, Buddhist philosophy and neuroscience. CFT can be especially helpful for people who experience high levels of shame and self-criticism, and there's good evidence to show that developing skills in self-compassion can be very helpful in promoting good emotional regulation too. A central premise of the CFT model is that the human brain has evolved three distinct emotion regulation systems: a threat/protection system, a drive/resource-seeking system, and a soothing/attachment system. CFT focuses on the links between cognitive behavioural patterns and these systems of emotional regulation, whose development is strongly influenced by our early experiences. Coming to understand these three systems and how they are working for us, as well as where our brains might be tripping us up, provides rich opportunities for change and growth. In my experience, CFT is often a particularly good model for therapy in the perinatal period.