Past CPD Event
Working with Challenging Scenarios in Cognitive Analytic Therapy
A one day workshop led by Kathryn Pemberton and Rhona Brown, CAT Practitioners and Supervisors
Date: Monday 14 September 2026
Time: 9.30 am to 4.30 pm
Venue: Holyoake House, Hanover Street, Manchester, M60 0AS
Fees: ACAT member :: £130.00
non-ACAT member :: £145.00
Lunch and refreshments were included in the fee. [You or your employer could request to be invoiced. This incurred an additional £20 fee.]
Overview of workshop:
Kathryn and Rhona led a day for CAT therapists and others interested in exploring a range of challenging scenarios in cognitive analytic therapy (CAT). They drew upon a selection of the second series of CAT Training Films produced by Catalyse for a range of training and CPD purposes. The films depict realistic improvised scenarios illustrating different threats to the therapeutic alliance in CAT. They explored issues such as states and state shifts, countertransference, endings and ruptures related to beliefs and values. While the films demonstrate ‘good enough’ CAT, their aim is to promote discussion and curiosity about our practice.
As qualified CATs we rarely have opportunities to witness such moments in therapy ‘up close’ in ways which help us to both use our observing eye on others’ practice and also put ourselves in the shoes of the therapist or client. These realistic examples enable you to experience the immediacy and intensity of enactments in action, followed by reflective and discursive space with peers and facilitators. You will have the opportunity for pair work, and scenario-focussed guided exercises in smaller and larger groups. Topics highlighted in the films will be a springboard to consider broader areas of CAT practice.
This day provided:
- experiential space to explore your own patterns and responses as a therapist
- consideration of how you might work with such challenges as a supervisor
- opportunity for role play or other active learning approaches to help practice skills (depending on the needs of the group)
All attendees receive an attendance certificate following the event, for CPD records.
Aims and learning outcomes:
The workshop offered structure, scaffolding, and guidance on working with a range of threats to the therapeutic alliance using a CAT perspective. Participants could:
- Revisit and refresh your practice around the topic of threats to the therapeutic alliance and other areas of clinical focus, including states and state shifts, countertransference, endings and rupture.
- Consider ways of managing challenging situations in your therapeutic practice, and/or supporting supervisees in their work
- Engage with peers and facilitators in your exploration, through pair and group work
- Depending on the needs of the group, explore topics further through active learning methods such as role play
- Contemplate ways in which you might utilise these films, or alternative creations of your own making, to scaffold learning for trainees, supervisees or other learners in your own organisation or training you deliver
Who was it for?
This event was relevant for:
- CAT practitioners and CAT psychotherapists
- Trainee CAT practitioners
- CAT supervisors
- Other therapists using CAT in their work who have a good understanding of the model
- The day may also be of interest to those who deliver training or supervision to therapists at different levels. This could include ACAT-accredited training programmes, introductory CAT trainings, or training/CPD lying outside of the CAT model. For example, trainers and supervisors in clinical psychology, counselling psychology and counselling programmes may benefit from considering common clinical issues depicted.
Facilitators
Dr Kathryn Pemberton is a CAT Practitioner, ACAT-accredited CAT Supervisor, and Trainer, including for the Catalyse CAT Practitioner Training course. Kathryn is a clinical psychologist by core profession. Prior to that training, she worked in theatre as an actor and director. She led the scripting, direction and production of the first set of training films now embedded in the Catalyse CAT Practitioner training course.
Kathryn subsequently led the working group which helped create the second set of films, ‘Working with Challenging Situations in CAT’. Supporting the team of actors with improvisations, and directing on the day of filming, she also carried out post-production work and led on developing the pack of supporting materials. Kathryn has specialised in the area of eatings disorders in both her past NHS work and current private practice. You can read more about the development of both sets of training films in her 2024 chapter in Creativity and Mental Health: A Cognitive Analytic Approach to Integrating Play and Imagination in Psychotherapy, Supervision and Training, edited by Yvonne Stevens.
Rhona Brown is a CAT practitioner, ACAT-accredited supervisor and clinical psychologist. Her clinical experience includes working with a range of diverse communities in urban settings in the north west. For many years she worked with adults with complex mental health needs in primary care and outpatient settings. Prior to leaving the NHS recently, she supported NHS staff in an occupational health role. Rhona contributes to CAT Practitioner and other training offered by Catalyse. She was a member of the working group which developed the second series of Training Films. Along with others in the team of volunteer actors, she acted in one of the scenarios. Rhona also collaborated with Kathryn in developing supporting materials. She is interested in both creative approaches in CAT and how it addresses social context and inequalities, and has published on both of these areas.
Group Size
A maximum of thirty participants could attend this course.
Venue
Pauline Green Room, Holyoake House, Hanover Street, Manchester, M60 0AS
- Two minutes’ walk from Victoria Rail and Metrolink Station
- One-minute walk from the Shudehill Transport Interchange
- 15-minutes’ walk from Manchester Piccadilly Rail Station
- Well situated for drivers, with plenty of car parks very close by
Booking Information
Booking for this event is now closed
If you required invoicing, there was an additional charge of £20.00. (Please note that for invoiced applications, if the paying organisation has not settled the invoice within 60 days of the invoice date, the delegate will be liable for payment of this fee.)
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