This excellent volume offers an invaluable and overdue addition to the CAT literature. Its clear focus and description of the key features of the model as used in "front line" clinical work along with its focus on "lived experience" of the approach from both practitioners and, importantly, service users is engaging and inspiring. The prominent voice of "service users", who give personal accounts of therapy in the context of their overall journey, is illuminating, brave, and moving and is an especially helpful and relevant feature of the book. They also exemplify and illustrate the "genuinely collaborative" nature of the CAT approach. The book will undoubtedly be of considerable usefulness not only to CAT trainees and practitioners but to many others, including potentially those who might engage with CAT (clients, patients, service users), and potentially beyond to anyone concerned with mental health problems and their treatment. This should include senior health service managers, service commissioners and funding agencies, media, and also those active in the broader public and socio-political domain.
Ian B. Kerr MD, Consultant Psychiatrist and Medical Psychotherapist, Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ, Whangarei, Honorary Senior Lecturer, Department of Psychological Medicine, Waipapa Taumata Rau-University of Auckland
This a thorough and well-arranged, distinctive introduction to the ideas and methods of Cognitive Analytic Therapy. It gives a rich and lucid account of all the steps to and aspects of the traditional CAT approach to a time-limited, brief focused psychotherapy. It locates CAT as a cognitive therapy and should work well as a guide to beginners in therapy, especially those meeting CAT for the first time as part of their clinical psychology training. It is distinctive and innovative in building the book around the perspectives and experiences of two clients of psychotherapy. Anyone who wants to join the conversation about how to understand and apply CAT should find this book a good beginning.
Steve Potter, Psychotherapist who teaches and supervises Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT) and its application to reflective practice in the UK and internationally
The authors of this book set out to produce a user friendly clinician's "how to do it" guide to Cognitive Analytic Therapy and they have achieved their aim. They cover all the basics but also mention new developments that therapists could experiment with as they become more confident. The inclusion of two service users as fellow authors is a valuable addition to previous books where we only get brief snapshots of service user experiences. Really helpful to follow the service user experience through from start to finish.
Dr Alison Jenaway, previously Consultant Psychiatrist in Medical Psychotherapy (now retired), CAT Therapist and Supervisor, past Chair of ACAT
With recent rises in mental health problems, there is a growing need to train more therapists. For those coming to CAT for the first time, their first experiences of the model have the power to spark curiosity and a thirst to learn more. This book has much to offer as the first step into Cognitive Analytic Therapy. It bridges the gap of offering an accessible first step into the CAT literature combined with hearing real and grounded experiences of having CAT. At its heart CAT is a collaborative model and it is this joint endeavour, giving voice to those who have generously shared their stories which makes this book truly special.
Dr Jenny Marshall, Consultant Psychologist and Joint Trustwide Lead for CAT
