I am a consultant clinical psychologist and CAT practitioner. I have worked in mental health services in the NHS since 2004. Much of this work has been with people who have experiences of psychosis or whose difficulties may mean they receive a diagnosis of ‘personality disorder’. It has also involved working with people who have at times posed a risk of harm to others. For many, this means they have become involved with the criminal justice or forensic system. I have used CAT to inform risk assessment and management in the NHS, Probation, Courts, Children’s Services, Prisons and the voluntary sector. In addition I offer CAT in independent practice for people with a range of mental health difficulties.
Over the years I have become increasingly interested in how we, as psychological practitioners, and CAT practitioners, can work at a system level. The focus is then emotional and relational aspects of high quality, safe and effective provision for service users and staff. This has involved using a CAT-informed approach in clinically-focussed activity when working with clinical teams and offering clinical supervision. However I have also used, and written about, the use of relational approaches to inform various aspects of workforce and system development. Examples include team development, coaching, leadership, multi-agency working and close alignment with operational or commissioning functions in systems.
Selected publications
Harvey, David, ‘CAT-informed leadership: Navigating the emotional and relational pressures of the workplace’, in Laura Brummer, Marisol Cavieres, and Ranil Tan (eds), The Oxford Handbook of Cognitive Analytic Therapy (online edn, Oxford Academic, 19 May 2022), https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198866572.013.40, accessed 1 Aug. 2022.
Harvey, D. W. (2021) When forensic services go astray – what can CAT offer at a system level? Chapter 11, p 153 – 166 in Marshall, J. & Kirkland, J. Eds. Reflective Practice in Forensic Settings. A Cognitive Analytic Approach to Developing Shared Thinking in Challenging Environments.West Sussex: Pavilion.
Harvey, D. W. & Tuhoy, B. (2020) Partnership working in ‘Personality Disorder’. In Ramsden J., Prince, S. & Blazdell, J. Eds. Working Effectively With ‘Personality Disorder’: Contemporary and Critical Approaches to Clinical and Organisational Practice. West Sussex: Pavilion.
Chapman-Gibbs, P., Mannix, K. & Harvey, D. W. (2019) Relational risk management in a Psychologically Informed Planned Environment (PIPE) Approved Premise Probation Journal, Vol. 66 (3) 356–369.
Harvey, D.W & Sefton, W. (2018). Developing psychologically informed warning letters in probation for high-risk clients with personality difficulties. Probation Journal, 2018, Vol. 65 (2) 170–183
Harvey, D.W. & Ramsden, J. (2017) Contracting between professionals who work with offenders with Personality Disorder. Probation Journal, Vol 64, Issue 1, pp. 20 – 32.
