Focused Compassion

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Focused Compassion Therapy

(Formerly known as Teddy Bear Therapy)

By Dr. Keith W. Smith Ph.D.

Carl Rogers, the father of "Client Centered Therapy" and of pastoral counseling in general, spoke of the qualities needed by a counselor who would be able to help a client positively. He spoke of:

Honesty

Transparency

Genuineness

Total Affirming Acceptance

Caring

Empathy

Ability to keep a confidence

Ability to actively listen

Not being given to giving opinions

The ability to allow the client to explore and find their own solution

Focused Compassion Therapy (Formerly known as Teddy Bear Therapy), takes ideas about the character and qualities of a counselor a whole lot further.

Children are good judges of character and when they feel insecure, frightened or hurting, often turn to a teddy bear for comfort. After many years of observing Children in some of the most harrowing circumstances. I have come to the conclusion that there is something in the very nature of a teddy bear that aids in the healing process. Having thought deeply about this nature, I first postulated what I called Focused Compassion Therapy (Formerly known as Teddy Bear Therapy), in 1990, whilst training a group of residential social workers in the south of England.

These social workers needed some basic listening and communication skills to enable them to help their charges express themselves within a residential situation (advocacy). Unfortunately, it is often the case that folk who have minimal counseling skills, suddenly think that their Sigmund Freud, and start dispensing all sorts of amateur psychological advice. I therefore wanted to seek away of presenting real skills, that would be of real help, to real people, with real needs. Without allowing the person to misunderstand the scope of their ability in helping others. Then something inside me said "teddy bears".

Much of the theory of FCT, has it’s basis in the numerous bits of research showing the real value of empathetic friends who would simple be with someone in emotionally difficult situations. These days many folk don’t have real heart friends with whom they can literally share anything without risk of rejection. Often folk feel embarrassed or ashamed to share with friends who may not understand. But anyone can share with a teddy bear.

Focused Compassion Therapy theory starts with certain attributes that teddy bears constantly display:

Teddy Bears are always loyal.

Teddy Bears are always faithful

Teddy Bears are always your friend no matter what

Teddy Bears always listen carefully to everything you say

Teddy Bears are never shocked

Teddy Bears will never tell

Teddy Bears are honest

Teddy Bears never hide things

Teddy Bears are genuine (Like a Stieff bear)

You KNOW your Teddy Bear loves you

Teddy Bears care

Teddy Bears empathize

Teddy Bears are able to keep a confidence

Teddy Bears never give opinions even when asked

Teddy Bears allow room for their friends to explore their problems and seek their own solutions.

Teddy Bears are cuddly and huggy, but never sexual

Teddy Bears change their world through love!

So what do we do, go down to Toys-R-Us and buy a truck load of soft toys? Of course not. As the old song goes… people need people. But perhaps if those people were a little more like Teddy Bears there would be a little more love and healing in the world. So I use techniques, very similar to those taught to "Client Centered Counselors", to teach "accompanying skills". That is, we teach folk that there are times that to really help, they must become like Teddy Bears .

Some ask me about results. Well I can only say that for me this method has had startling and outstanding results. My wife and I have seen over and over again, how folk who have been counseled for years respond positively to a method that doesn’t treat them as a "client" with a problem to be solved, but rather treats them as a friend who needs to be loved, no matter what. And these results are not just anecdotal. There are now innumerable studies proving that real friends accompanying and attending their friend during difficult and/or traumatic times positively help that person in a way significantly more than a professional therapist in the same situation.

One aspect of FCT that is worth mentioning, is it’s Christian background. The group to which I originally taught this "method", were all practicing evangelical Christians. I am a Christian, and this affects my thinking, philosophy and all that I do, and therefore has touched this work too. Client Centered Therapy, starts with the false premise, that man is basically good, able to work out his own salvation. Both the Bible and a simple study of human nature, prove that man is basically messed up. That left to his own devices man will mess up time and time again. He needs help to get sorted. Other than Teddy Bears, who are still fallible and likely to come unstitched, the only one to consistently show real, 100% unconditional love, is Jesus Christ! And only He can REALLY change lives, although often he uses his grace filled servants…. I just call them Teddy Bears .

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