Qualitative Analysis of Emotion Schemes Theory of Compassion Satisfaction in Emotion - Focused Therapy

Authors

Bronislava Šoková, Institute of Applied Psychology, Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, SlovakiaFollow
Lenka Janík Blašková, Institute of Applied Psychology, Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, SlovakiaFollow
Katarína Greškovičová, Institute of Applied Psychology, Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, SlovakiaFollow
Júlia Halamová, Institute of Applied Psychology, Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, SlovakiaFollow

Abstract

There is little to no research focused on the qualitative understanding of compassion satisfaction among helping professionals, despite the demanding nature of the profession. Our aim was to examine how helping professionals experience compassion satisfaction through the lens of emotion scheme theory applied in emotion-focused therapy. Eight helping professionals were randomly selected from the pool of 29 participants representing a convenience sample, with the age range from 20 to 44 years. Data were collected via online in-depth interviews with open-ended questions concerning emotion scheme of their intense experience of compassion satisfaction. To analyze the data, phenomenology and consensual qualitative analysis was performed with three members of the core team and one auditor.  The results described the experiences of compassion satisfaction in five components of emotion scheme: perceptual-situational, physical and expressive elements, symbolic-conceptual elements, motivational-behavioral elements, and experienced emotion. Helping professionals further emphasized the importance of taking time for self-care following positive outcomes or successes in their field.  These findings provide a deeper understanding of helping professionals´ experiences of compassion satisfaction in emotion-focused therapy and nunaces between components. Gaining a better understanding of emotions related to compassion satisfaction and learning to savour the positive emotions it fosters could further enhance their well-being.

Keywords

emotion-focused therapy, emotion scheme, compassion satisfaction, consensual qualitative research, helping professions

Author Bio(s)

Bronislava Šoková currently works at the Institute of Applied Psychology, Comenius University in Bratislava. Bronislava does research in Eyetracking, Emotions and Applied Psychology. Their most recent publication is 'Consensual qualitative research on free associations for compassion and self-compassion'. ORCID 0000-0003-2463-4457

Lenka Janík Blašková is a Lecturer in the Psychology of Education. As part of her Ph.D. in Cambridge University, she researched wellbeing, peer relationships and social inclusion. Lenka is interested in researching mental health and the development of relevant social and emotional capacities. Currently, Lenka leads a multinational project involving the co-creation of training fostering the psychosocial development in Slovak teachers. Project involves partners from Ireland and Slovakia. ORCID 0000-0003-3019-0880

Katarína Greškovičová's current research interests focus on childbirth experiences, compassion fatigue and satisfaction among helping professionals, as well as attachment in the workplace. She loves working in this field and has a deep passion for research. ORCID 0000-0002-2070-5660

Júlia Halamová works at the Institute of Applied Psychology, Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava in Slovakia. She has also her own private psychotherapy pratice with individuals, couples and families, and train psychotherapists in Emotion focused therapy approach in EFT Institute Slovakia.  ORCID 0000-0002-2655-2327

Institute of Applied Psychology, Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia

Acknowledgements

We thank Katarina Krizova for assistance with the data collection.

Publication Date

3-27-2026

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

Recommended APA Citation

Šoková, B., Janík Blašková, L., Greškovičová, K., & Halamová, J. (2026). Qualitative analysis of emotion schemes theory of compassion satisfaction in emotion - Focused therapy. The Qualitative Report, 31(3), 5339-5356. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2026.7882

ORCID ID

0000-0003-2463-4457