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What problems can CAT help with?

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, phobia, or borderline personality disorder
• You might recognise that you are suffering from unmanageable stress or that you self-harm
• You might have problems with substance misuse or suffer with an eating disorder
• You may have a pattern of difficulty in looking after yourself properly or unsuccessful or broken relationships
• You might have long-term physical symptoms that are difficult to manage and affect the way you feel about yourself and your close relationships
• You might have tried other types of therapy, or different things to help you cope with your difficulties

CAT recognises that people are so much more than their identified problems or diagnoses

Some CAT therapists work with people with eating disorders, those with addiction problems (like drugs and alcohol), obsessional problems, anxiety, depression, phobias, psychosis, bipolar illness, and a number of therapists work with adolescents, older people and people with learning difficulties and in forensic settings. 

CAT is mostly offered to individuals, but it can also be used effectively with couples, in groups and to help teams understand the ‘system’ in which they work.

  

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