I qualified as a cognitive analytic therapy practitioner in 2010. Prior to this I completed clinical psychology training in 1989 and worked mainly in primary care and outpatient NHS settings. This was mainly in inner city areas, with adults who have complex mental health needs. In 2017 I left a clinical lead role in an NHS ‘Complex Cases’ service to work in an Occupational Health & Staff Support setting for NHS staff where I still work part-time. I also spent a year as a cognitive analytic therapist in a newly established CAT-informed team in the third sector, offering a residential recovery service for people with substance use difficulties. I was accredited by ACAT as a CAT supervisor in 2025.
In addition to CAT my clinical work is informed by a number of other approaches such as psychodynamic interpersonal therapy (PIT), cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and solution focussed therapy.
I’m interested in social context, inequalities and how mental health services can better respond to the needs of diverse communities. I’ve led a number of training and service development initiatives aimed at enhancing accessibility of services, including close collaboration with third sector agencies. CAT has been a useful model for tying together these areas of interest. In addition to its strengths as a highly collaborative and person-centred therapy approach, I value how CAT can help facilitate more collective and community solutions to individual distress.
Within Catalyse I look after our website and social media on behalf of the Executive Committee. This involves staying abreast of all the other workstreams so that we can share and communicate our activities through the site. Additionally I contribute to some of the practitioner training days and other Catalyse training. I’ve also worked with ACAT since 2016 to help enhance public engagement around CAT.
I’m a chartered member of the British Psychological Society and am registered as a practitioner psychologist with the Health & Care Professions Council.
Publications
Barnes, N., and Brown, R. 2024. Dancing in the spaces between – reflections on proximity and power when working alongside communities. In: Crothers, L., Barnes, N. (ed.) Working Relationally with Young People: A Cognitive Analytic Approach to Connecting One to One, with Families and Across Communities. Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd.
Brown, R. (2024) CAT in social context. Chapter 11, pp 155-174 in L. Brummer, M Cavieres & R Tan (Eds), Oxford handbook of Cognitive Analytic Therapy. OUP Oxford. DOI https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198866572.013.10
Brown, R. 2024. Bringing our stories to life through animation In: Stevens, Y. J. (ed.) Creativity and Mental Health: A Cognitive Analytic Approach to Integrating Play and Imagination in Psychotherapy, Supervision and Training. Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd.
Brown, R. Harvey, D. W. & Bolger, L. (2024a). Inequality and power differentials in forensic contexts: considering the territory through a CAT lens. Chapter 16, pp. 217-228, in J. Marshall & L. Kirkland (Eds), Innovative Practice in Forensic Settings: A Cognitive Analytic Approach to Effective Relational Work. West Sussex: Pavilion.
Brown, R. Harvey, D. W. & Bolger, L. (2024b). Inequality and power differentials in forensic contexts – maintaining dialogue across painful spaces using CAT. Chapter 17, pp. 229-244, in J. Marshall & L. Kirkland (Eds), Innovative Practice in Forensic Settings: A Cognitive Analytic Approach to Effective Relational Work. West Sussex: Pavilion.
