My T has explained the difference, as she sees it, between guilt and shame - guilt is generally a good thing and serves a useful purpose, because it helps us feel bad when we've done wrong and motivates us to want to correct whatever it is we've done or whatever in us really needs to be changed. Shame, however, is something that is toxic to our spirit, to our minds....we feel bad, we get into a place of self-hatred, self-loathing, we aren't seeing whether or not there's really anything to feel legitimately guilty about because we have judged ourselves as bad and unworthy. And instead of feeling motivated to change, we are motivated to hide.....
So guilt can move us toward good change; shame keeps us stuck in bad beliefs about ourselves.
Guilt and shame can be related though, I think.....maybe there are things I should feel guilty about and have some shame for too, but then I add a lot more unnecessary shame to it (self-hatred, self-condemnation), even after I've done things to take care of the guilt. I can let the guilt go, but hold on to the shame.....and as my T says, it really is toxic and only adds pain and fear. So to replace shame with compassion for myself instead is what I hope to learn.....