Not one but two new CPD events for 2025

20th December 2024CPD, Featuredrhona

The bad news: both of David Harvey’s’ CAT as a Tool for Leadership’ events in January and February are now fully booked up. If you weren’t quick enough to secure a place but want to attend another then do let us know. It’d be useful to hear whether you are interested in an in person or online repeat.

The good news: we have not one, but two, new CPD events in the calendar for 2025. First up is Kathryn Pemberton, one of our training team for the Practitioner Course. She will lead a day on CAT and Eating Disorders on Friday 21st March in Manchester. This will be an opportunity to think creatively with colleagues about this area of work. Kathryn will share her approach from assessment to follow up sessions, through to team enactments. She will draw on her own specialised practice in this area. The day will provide space to think about both process and content in therapy, and reflect on use of self in clinical practice.

Next up, Jenny Marshall and David Harvey are co-leading a day on CAT Reflective Practice: Skills for Facilitation on Thursday 8th May in Manchester. Reflective practice has become a staple of using CAT in support of teams and services, and there is much demand for it from a number of sectors. However even seasoned CATs may have found that while offering this as an intervention, they may not have had an opportunity for CAT-specific learning around the area. Alongside her trainer role with the Practitioner training, Jenny has of course co-authored a book specifically about applications of reflective practice in forensic work. David penned a chapter for this too. They will bring their collective experience, and help you reflect on the RP facilitator role. You can practise skills in a safe learning environment with colleagues. The day will help you create your own development plan going forward, whatever your level of experience.

You can book on to one or both by following the links above. We look forward seeing some of you there.

Leadership on Repeat – Feb 2025

13th December 2024CPDContinuing Professional Developmentrhona

There’s been such demand for David Harvey’s ‘CAT as a Tool for Leadership’ online event on 31 January, we’ve almost filled a repeat online event the following week. A few spaces remain so if you’re keen to learn more about how David applies the Multiple Self States Model to a leadership context, book your place soon. It takes place on Friday 7 February and you can book via the link at CAT as a Tool for Leadership – sixth run.

Update 18th December 2024: Fully booked (again)

Leadership online in January 2025

29th September 2024CPDrhona

We are pleased to let you know the first of 2025’s CPD days is now open for booking. David Harvey is offering an online version of his very popular day on CAT as a Tool for Leadership on 31st January 2025. The first planned run of this day had to be postponed during lockdown in 2020. David readily took the plunge into remote delivery, and it ended up being the first of our online events. David has since led the day another three times face-to-face as part of our CPD programme. He’s also delivered it for a couple of NHS Trusts who commissioned bespoke CPD days through Catalyse. Each time it gets consistent feedback as highly relevant to the realities of NHS and other public service settings. In the words of one participant:

“One of the few teachings that recognises the reality of our day to day work, and proposes realistic strategies to support a traumatized system.”

If you are familiar with David’s work you’ll know that he makes use of CAT’s Multiple Self States Model (MSSM) as applied to systems. In addition to a systemic overview he also manages to back-translate this conceptual understanding into manageable, personal and human interventions which help to maintain more healthy communication and relationships amongst staff, teams and levels within systems where risk and complexity present frequent challenges.

We were reckoning up that over a hundred participants have benefitted from this training to date. Perhaps we can entice David into considering a ‘next step’ follow-on of some sort. This could build on the leadership capabilities of those who have been using these ideas in their settings to date….

The day is open not just to CAT Practitioners, Psychotherapists and trainees. It is also relevant and open to all professionals tasked with leading or influencing other colleagues, teams or systems which support service users with complex needs and/or high risks. By running it online a second time, we hope it is accessible to those who may struggle to attend an in-person event. With increasingly unpredictable weather, especially in the winter months, this may circumvent problems with travel and keep CAT CPD on our agendas as the new year begins.

You can read more about the day and book on to January’s event through the link at https://catalyse.uk.com/cpd/cat-as-a-tool-for-leadership-31-january-2025/

Update 17 October 2024 – this event is now fully booked but do contact us if you’d like to add your name to a waiting list for cancellations or notification about a future repeat.

In Transition…

12th September 2024Updaterhona

As we start to leave the summer behind us and move into another season, there’s a bit of space for a look back on the last few months. And with the new 2024 Practitioner Training intake due to commence in October, there’s equally lots to think about for the coming months ahead.

In our CPD programme Sarah Littlejohn’s two day introduction to CAT in July went down well. With permission to share, this piece of feedback gives an appreciative summary of one participant’s experience:

“I really valued the whole 2 days. The exercises and activities gave the opportunity to immediately put the content into practice. I was able to clearly see how to apply the content in my therapeutic work. There were also some really nice, meaningful exercises that I will take forward ……. It felt like the whole group were really engaged and excited about using CAT.”

In our meeting last week we reflected on how good it is to see people who have attended an introductory course, a CAT Skills training or orientation, or engaged in a Personal Reformulation experience go on to take further steps in their professional journey in cognitive analytic therapy. We see the culmination of such journeys as people come on to Practitioner Training. Some at a later stage offer their support as accredited CAT Supervisors. Culmination isn’t really the right word, as there’s not an end point. It’s more of an ongoing process as people become part of a broader CAT community across the UK, and further afield in some cases.

As an example, this year we have two new cohort tutors joining the Practitioner Training team. This reflects another large intake of around forty trainees and preparations are underway for setting up all that they need. We have at least one surprise to welcome them with in October….

In tandem, the 2023 intake continue onto their second year of teaching. Those from the double 2022 cohorts move towards their accreditation. Given the huge demand for CAT and its expansion through NHSE funding, we’re always open to approaches for involvement whether for course roles, supervision, seminar group facilitators or markers. So please do get in touch if you have interest in any of these roles and some time to offer.

If you’re ready to take another step in qualifying as a CAT supervisor, another two-day CAT supervisor training course on 17th and 18th October still has spaces. It’s a non-residential, northern alternative to the ACAT-run residential course in Evesham, Worcestershire.

In terms of other CPD, Rachel Beckford and Lesley Taylor’s day on Effective and Respectful CAT With Those Who Are Neurodivergent on 16th October has proved really popular. So much so, it’s already fully booked. The first offer of 2025, on 31st January, is an online version of David Harvey’s popular CAT as a Tool for Leadership. This was very well received over four previous open runs in addition to some bespoke internal events arranged for NHS Trusts. More details and booking options will appear on the website soon. However if you’re interested in securing a place do let us know and we can begin a list for early alert. We have at least couple more clinically-orientated days in the pipeline for 2025. As soon as we have confirmed details we’ll post them here on the site.

As ever, we’ll continue to send out regular email updates to our contact list. If you’re not already on this and would like to be, please let us know.

Here’s to a good autumn ahead for all.