Cognitive Analytic Therapist (CAT)

The process of a CAT therapy is to help us look at patterns of relating, and the effect these patterns are having on our relationships, our work and the way we are with ourselves. Many of our automatic responses to other people and situations stem from patterns of relating in early life so together with your therapist, in the safety of the therapeutic relationship, you will develop an understanding of the ways in which you have learned to relate, think and behave toward others and yourself.  Through this process you will learn new and more helpful ways of coping with your issues and problems and move forward in your life. 

CAT tries to focus on what a person brings to the therapy (‘target problems’) and the deeper patterns of relating that underlie them. It is less concerned with traditional psychiatric symptoms, syndromes or labels.

CAT recognises that people are so much more than their identified problems or diagnoses and helps each individual find their own language for what appears to go wrong as well as setting manageable goals to bring about change.

• You might have problems that have been given a name by a health worker such as depression, anxiety or personality disorder.
• You might recognise that you are suffering from unmanageable stress or have a poor relationship with food or alcohol, for example.
• You may have a pattern of unsuccessful or broken relationships, whether at home or in the work place or you struggle to connect with other people.
• You might have long-term physical symptoms that are difficult to manage and affect the way you feel about yourself and your close relationships.

CAT is a very adaptable therapy and sometimes just two or three sessions can be enough to help identify and shift some stubborn relational patterns and move you forward. 

More usually you will contract for eight to ten sessions of CAT, which are an hour long.  These meetings will happen weekly or bi-weekly at your preferred surgery.