A two-day introduction to the skills and concepts in practice, led by Steve Potter and Annalee Curran
This highly-rated short course is offered by ACAT for people new to the CAT way of working. The course will be held online using Zoom conferencing. Webinars in plenary format and breakout rooms will work within the following times. No online session will be longer than 1.5 hours with times allocated for coffee, tea and lunch.
Wednesday 14th and Thursday 15th October 2026
09:30 –16:45 each day
Course Fee: £200 (payment online) / £215 (if invoicing requested). If you require an invoice you will need to send a copy of your purchase order via email to alison.marfell@acat.org.uk at the time of booking. Please see ACAT's Event Terms and Conditions
Aims and Background
This hands-on, two day course offers an introduction to the ideas, methods and skills of Cognitive Analytic Therapy. It combines short theoretical inputs with role play and video demonstrations by the trainers of CAT practice and work in pairs and small groups to try out CAT skills. The versatility of the approach will be explored and a range of clinical examples highlighted. Participants will gain skills in mapping, tracking and negotiating problem patterns with clients and for supervision. Participants will need some familiarity with the use of psychological ideas and methods in responding to mental health problems and emotional distress.
Key ideas to be taught:
• The influence of early interactions in shaping personality: reciprocal roles, multiple positions
• Developing therapeutic attitudes through joint activity within a structured, focused, time limited therapy
• Relational understanding of trauma: its origins, maintenance in current life and enactment in the helping setting
• reciprocal roles and a dialogic understanding of problem patterns
• enactments and therapeutic moments
Typical methods to be practiced:
• shared therapeutic activity of make maps side by side with the client
• use of reformulatory diagrams and writing to hold and guide therapy
• using the educational and therapeutic relationship between client and therapist as the key to mechanisms of change
• working directly and indirectly with a client
• active and therapeutic use of time and endings
An integrative and dialogic approach:
• to psychological therapies and mental health work
• differences and similarities with other cognitive relational models of therapy
Suitable for:
Clinical psychologists, psychotherapists, nurses, psychiatrists, counsellors, social workers and others working with mental health
Course Trainers:
Annalee Curran and Steve Potter have been teaching and training CAT for many years in the UK and internationally
ACAT reserves the right to change programme content and presenters.
Please see ACAT's Event Terms and Conditions
For any queries, please contact alison.marfell@acat.org.uk
