About Us.

Compassionate Mind Research Group

The University of Queensland

The Green Room was developed by the Compassionate Mind Research Group (CMRG), based in the School of Psychology at the University of Queensland. Co-directed by Dr James Kirby and Dr Stan Steindl, CMRG studies compassion — particularly compassion-focused therapy and evolutionary models of compassion — and applies that research to therapy, parenting, leadership, schools and communities.

The group's work spans three aims: conducting scientific research on compassion, training people in compassion-focused approaches, and sharing compassion knowledge widely. CMRG is affiliated with the UK-based Compassionate Mind Foundation, founded by Professor Paul Gilbert, the originator of Compassion Focused Therapy.

Learn more about CMRG →

Teagan Lloyd-Collins

PhD Candidate, The University of Queensland

Teagan Lloyd-Collins is a PhD candidate at the University of Queensland. Her research is focused on developing and evaluating online, compassion-based interventions to support parents after preterm birth.

Dr Grace C. Fitzallen

Lecturer, University of Tasmania

Grace C. Fitzallen is a Lecturer in the School of Psychological Sciences (Health) at the University of Tasmania. Grace's research is focused on the long-term follow-up of high-risk infants adopting an integrative, family systems approach, encompassing child neurodevelopment, parental self-relating, family adaptation, grandparent wellbeing, and global neonatal follow-up.

Associate Professor James N. Kirby

Associate Professor and Clinical Psychologist, The University of Queensland

James N. Kirby, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor, Clinical Psychologist, Director of the Clinical Programs, and Co-Director of the Compassionate Mind Research Group at the University of Queensland. His research is focused on compassion science and the effectiveness of compassion-based interventions.

James is also an Honorary Associate Professor of the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education at Stanford University, an Honorary Member of the Compassionate Mind Foundation UK, a Fellow of the Mind and Life Institute, and a founding board member of the Global Compassion Coalition.

Why we created The Green Room

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The approach

An explanation of compassion focused therapy and why it was chosen will go here.

Who it is for

A description of who this program is designed to help will go here.

The Green Room is grounded in published research on compassion-focused therapy and the experience of parents after preterm birth.

Lloyd-Collins, T.M., Fitzallen, G.C. & Kirby, J.N. A Compassion-Focused Approach to Support Parents After Preterm Birth. Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev 28, 954–972 (2025).

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-025-00549-z

Kirby, J.N. Compassion as a transdiagnostic target to reduce mental health symptoms and promote well-being. Nat Rev Psychol 4, 249–263 (2025).

https://doi.org/10.1038/s44159-025-00422-4

Fitzallen, G.C., Kirby, J.N., Taylor, H.G. et al. Evaluating multidimensional facets of the maternal experience after preterm birth. J Perinatol 44, 635–642 (2024).

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-024-01865-y

Millard, L.A. & Wittkowski, A. (2023). Compassion focused therapy for women in the perinatal period: a summary of the current literature. Front. Psychiatry 14:1288797.

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1288797

Kirby, J. N., Hoang, A., & Ramos, N. (2023). A brief compassion focused therapy intervention can help self-critical parents and their children: A randomised controlled trial. Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, 96, 608–626.

https://doi.org/10.1111/papt.12459

Lennard, G., Mitchell, A. & Whittingham, K. (2020). Randomized controlled trial of a brief online self-compassion intervention for mothers of infants: effects on mental health outcomes. J Clin Psychol 77:473–87.

https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.23068

Gammer, I., Hartley-Jones, C. & Jones, F. (2020). A randomized controlled trial of an online, compassion-based intervention for maternal psychological well-being in the first year postpartum. Mindfulness 11:928–39.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-020-01306-9

Kelman, A., Evare, B., Barrera, A., Muñoz, R. & Gilbert, P. (2018). A proof-of-concept pilot randomized comparative trial of brief Internet-based compassionate mind training and cognitive-behavioral therapy for perinatal and intending to become pregnant women. Clin Psychol Psychother 25:608–19.

https://doi.org/10.1002/cpp.2185

Mitchell, A., Whittingham, K., Steindl, S. & Kirby, J. (2018). Feasibility and acceptability of a brief online self-compassion intervention for mothers of infants. Arch Womens Ment Health 21:553–61.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-018-0829-y

Cree, M. (2015). The Compassionate Mind Approach to Postnatal Depression: Using Compassion-Focused Therapy to Enhance Mood, Confidence and Bonding. London: Robinson.

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Our team