Compassion-focused therapy (CFT) was specifically designed for people with high levels of shame, self-criticism and self-directed hostility by helping people to cultivate affiliative emotions and compassion.The current research aims to explore changes in levels of self-criticism, shame, submissive behaviour, and self-comparison in a severely obese population who are awaiting bariatric surgery. As depression symptoms and levels of emotional eating can interfere with bariatric surgery success, these constructs are included as secondary outcomes for research.