Tag Archives: CPD

Save The Date: Two Day Supervisor Training Workshop in November 2022

CPD, Supervisor Training,

Thinking of starting your journey as an ACAT-accredited CAT Supervisor? Mark Evans and Sarah Littlejohn are offering a face-to-face two day supervisor training workshop. This will take place on 17 and 18 November 2022 in Manchester. Mark and Sarah will follow the two days with a half day follow-up meeting, online, at a later date. Together these will constitute Part 1 of ACAT’s supervisor training pathway. We’ll post more details of this training shortly once booking is open. Do save the date if you’d like to sign up.

Update: more details and booking options for this event can now be found at this link: CAT Supervisor Training Workshop

Graceful Daisies in July

CPD

In this blog, Rhona Brown outlines her forthcoming half day workshop co-led by CAT and systemic family therapist Paddy Crossling.

There is a current push within ACAT for trainers, supervisors and therapists to develop skills and confidence in considering and addressing protected characteristics. Finding ways to more actively take such issues into account in therapy is recommended by UKCP’s HIPC EDI Guidance on teaching Equality, Diversity and Intersectionality in HIPC training organisations. These are shaping how ACAT-accredited training embeds aspects of equality, diversity and intersectionality throughout training and CPD. I’m involved in a working group thinking through how this can progress.

CAT has always been a model that situates the individual in their unique social context. The work of Vygotsky and Bakhtin underscored its radical social model of the self. Ryle and Kerr proposed that training therapies include ‘culture mapping’ to enable practitioners to recognise their own cultural influences and biases. However how realistic this is in each training therapy is another matter. And of course learning and personal development around these issues is life long, as we and the world continue to be fluid and unfinalised.

In contemplating tools to help us in this endeavour, a couple of years ago Paddy Crossling and I explored how we might adapt a systemic family therapy framework. The Social GGRRAAAACCEEESSSS was first proposed and shared by Alison Roper Hall and John Burnham. As a conceptual device they developed it to aid reflection on how aspects of identity impact on our relational exchanges. The letters in the mnemonic refer to Gender, Geography, Race, Religion, Age, Ability, Appearance, Accent, Class, Culture, Ethnicity, Employment, Education, Sexuality, Sexual orientation, and Spirituality. Most recent descriptions include a catch-all additional S for ‘something else’.

These hold some similarities to items included in CAT’s Psychosocial Checklist (PSC), first developed by Yvonne Harris and Janet Toye in 2004. Janet and Rachel Pollard went on to update it in 2006 but it has not been widely adopted in CAT. Like the Psychotherapy File (PF), it primarily centres the relational experience of the client. Neither of these CAT tools necessarily prompt reflection about the self of the therapist. In systemic thinking the lense is broadened to include the therapeutic system, whereby reflection gives way to reflexivity. This refers to the ability to reflect on action and use it to inform future action. The GGRRAAAACCEEESSSS help to scaffold therapist reflection in such a way that it brings to the fore what may be visible, invisible, voiced or unvoiced in our own personhood. This in turn can help us, in our actions, stay open to conversations about the interaction between client and therapist perceptions of our respective social selves.

Therapy, after all, is often about opening up conversations that are often not easy to have, in authentic ways. Inevitably this involves the complex and multifaceted personhood of both parties. Aspects of assumed, perceived and subjective identit(ies) can be powerful mediators of both the therapeutic alliance and rupture. The collaborative nature of CAT starts from a place of humility in its gradual co-construction of shared meaning. Yet understandings are seldom complete. And of course each of us brings a myriad of different life experiences and contextual positionings in the social world.

Finding our way through these can feel uncomfortable and challenging. Without some waymarks we can feel a bit lost. Often, strategies and procedures we employ to feel more safe or secure in our professional roles can powerfully influence the direction therapy takes. In order to hold space for respectful, curious conversations around aspects of identity, we need to feel at ease with uncertainties and discomforts that such exchanges can provoke. Moreover we need to be able to respond helpfully when our clients step into that space with us.

Paddy is on the cusp of retirement from the NHS, following a career spanning some fifty years. She brings much clinical wisdom as a jointly trained CAT therapist and supervisor, and systemic family therapist. Paddy also offers DBT in her busy role in an NHS psychotherapy service. Preparing for our ‘A Graceful CAT’ workshop in 2019 opened up a creative space from which emerged a ‘graceful’ daisy. In addition to the approaching season, this inspired the image we chose to advertise our forthcoming event. In our experiential workshop Paddy and I will provide an overview of these complementary frameworks and introduce this fledgling tool. There will be opportunities for both personal reflection and practice in pairs or small groups. We hope the workshop will provide a safe space for therapists feel more comfortable and confident in working reflexively with similarities, differences and power in the therapy room.

To find out more or book onto this half day in Manchester on the morning of 15th July, visit the “A Graceful CAT: Embedding Social Graces in CAT Dialogue” event page at this link.

November 2021 News

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It’s been a while since we published a newsletter to update on new developments. At our recent Executive group meeting in November 2021 we thought we’d try updating more regularly on the blog. If you’re interested in following Catalyse activities this is another way to stay informed.

Practitioner Training

We made the decision to defer the next intake of the Practitioner Training until 2022. However this doesn’t seem to have made 2021 a less busy year. We’re pleased to have had a great deal of interest in the course already. The deadline for applications is May 6th next year and we look forward to checking our inbox then. Marisol Cavieres provided her final training day in October, and has now moved on from her tutor role after ten years of working with us. This makes way for trainer Jo Coggins to take on the tutor role for our new October 2022 intake, working alongside Kathyrn Pemberton who is the tutor for the 2021 cohort.

People

This year we’ve also had further additions in that David Harvey has joined us as an associate. Jenny Marshall has also joined and taken on a lead role for Personal Reformulations. Additionally, Cath Laverty has come on board in a Non-Executive Director role. Glenys Parry made the transition to a Non-Executive Director role after retiring from her Executive and Finance roles at the end of August. Her inimitable mix of wisdom, strategic precision, seemingly limitless practical skill, plus her warmth, irreverence and humour, have aided Catalyse since its inception. We miss her in our Executive meetings. However we’re pleased she’ll remain involved in a number of other ways. Alongside their practitioner training roles, Dawn Bennett and Sarah Littlejohn are now Co-Chairs of Catalyse and Dawn is Finance Director.

CPD

After a pandemic-related pause, four CPD events over the second half of this year have been well received. Our December event on Therapy for Parents and the Family Court Process is the most well-subscribed of the year, but there are still spaces if you wish to book on. David Harvey will be repeating his in-person CPD day on CAT as a Tool for Leadership on Thursday 5th May 2022. More details and booking options for this will be available soon.

CPD lead Jo Coggins is in touch with several colleagues about a number of other stimulating CPD days over the coming year. We’ve streamlined the CPD proposal process so that there is a bit less form-filling. Instead the process includes more conversation with Jo to begin developing a proposal. We hope this will help prospective presenters move from an idea to something firm. If you have chats with Jo on Zoom you may not spot her swapping a tentative pencil for a more confident pen. Have no doubt she will be working towards getting a definite date in the calendar. Then the website work gets properly underway and we can start to advertise your event.

Many of you completed our CPD survey earlier this year. In response, for 2022 we’re planning to offer a range of different events to suit different pockets and purposes. This includes a mix of face-to-face and online events, and we will share more details soon.

Catalyse Training Films

It’s just over a year since the Catalyse training films became available to stream. Vimeo recently informed us they have had over one thousand views. We’re about to launch a brief survey to ask more about the experience of those who have used them to date in training, or their own learning. Catalyse practitioner course trainees have direct access to them throughout training. Other CAT Practitioner training courses and Clinical Psychology courses have purchased subscriptions too, and some have also arranged for their trainees to have direct access at a small cost-per-head fee. Being able to watch the films at any time means that learners can use the materials more flexibly. In addition to viewing them direct during remote training days, they can also review them in their own time.

We didn’t really anticipate that individuals might want to subscribe to the films as a preparation for training in CAT. However we’ve discovered that there is some interest in this. As a result we’re reviewing the subscription costs to make it more possible for people to access them in this way. We’ll share details of new subscription arrangements shortly.

Training Films: Take Two

Not content with one series of materials, supporting initial skills development in cognitive analytic therapy, we are well underway with a second series. This is thanks to a generous donation from a charitable endowment fund by Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust. Their contribution is enabling Kathryn Pemberton and a small group of CAT colleagues to plan and produce a further five short films, in conjunction with Brickoven Media and a number of local CAT colleagues.

The first series is suitable for introductory and year 1 practitioner training. Using different fictional scenarios, this second series of films will demonstrate a range of situations presenting more complex therapeutic challenges. From countertransference and strong expressed emotions, to rupture linked to values and world-views, the films aim to demonstrate more advanced CAT skills and competences. Again they will not be striving to show ‘perfect’ clinical practice. Instead, they explore the richness of such therapeutic encounters and possible responses by CAT therapists. As learning resources we hope they will facilitate exploration, discussion and debate around more advanced CAT skills and competences.

The recent weekend of improvisation and filming at GMMH premises in Manchester deserves a blog in its own right. Until that emerges, you can see a few visual highlights and glimpses of therapists who kindly gave up parts of their Sundays to help us, on the #CatalyseFilms hashtag on Twitter. If you’re not on Twitter you can scroll back to view the Twitter feed here on the website.

Staying involved with Catalyse

As ever, we welcome approaches from ACAT-accredited CAT therapists across the North of England who would like to become involved in the work of Catalyse in some way. There are plenty of possibilities. You can read more about how to go about this in Dawn and Glenys’ guidelines here. And of course you can always contact us through our administrator Frances Free.

Image of neon lit letters spelling out HOPE, placed roughly on fallen leaves in a dark woodland

Café CAT – reflections so far and plans for 2019

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Join us for our next Café CAT meeting which takes place on Wednesday 30th January at a new Manchester city centre venue between 6.15 and 8.15 pm. The theme is Hope.

Café CAT has met four times since October 2017 as a forum for peer contact, particularly for graduates from our practitioner training who wish to maintain cognitive analytic therapy (CAT) networks. A CAT focus to the meetings provides a form of continuing professional development (CPD) for local therapists. It also functions as an “open door” for CAT in the north for people curious about CAT training at a future point. We were interested in whether and how Café CAT met these aims, and the results of our recent survey are summarised below.

In the meantime, we invite you to the first Café CAT meeting of 2019 on Wednesday 30th January, 6.15 to 8.15 pm in a new venue, the Salutation Pub in Manchester city centre. It’s a new year and a new venue so it feels apt to consider the topic of hope. Feeling a bit disheartened by the state of the things in the world currently, and wanting to free ourselves from the winter doldrums, our exit was to start the year focusing on something to lift spirits.

Rhona Brown will start off a CAT-leaning conversation at this Café meeting. Do come along if you can to be part of this conversation, and bring your own thoughts on hope. What helps us find it, or lose it? How do we communicate hope in therapy? What CAT concepts or approaches help us to mobilise this precious resource for psychological survival? You’re welcome to bring and share anything that helps connect you to a sense of hope.

The Salutation Pub serves food until 9 pm. We very much hope you can join us. There’s no need to book, just come along. Entry is £5 on the door and we have sole use of the upstairs room.

Café CAT survey – is it a useful forum?

We were interested to know what those attending any of our four Cafés made of it, but also what obstacles there were in coming along. Is this a valuable addition to events for the CAT community in the north and is this how you might like it to develop? We were also keen to invite people to get more involved so that Café CAT could become more peer-led and self-sustaining. We ran an online survey between July and September 2018. Thanks to all fifty-three people who completed this.

Who did we hear from?

Two thirds of respondents were trained to at least CAT practitioner level, and a sizeable minority were practitioner trainees. Around half of respondents were clinical psychologists with a spread of other core professions.

Why did people come and what did they get from meetings?

The strongest themes emerging from responses related to the value of connecting with CAT and CAT peers, networking and CPD. Most of this group valued learning about CAT and the informal format, although a minority wanted a bit more structure, or materials shared in advance as a way to prepare.

Why did some people not come along?

For many of those who were interested but hadn’t yet attended, the timing and location of meetings were obstacles. People expressed various preferences about either an earlier meeting during work hours, or a later evening meeting allowing for easier travel after work. However there was no consistent message to help guide a definite change. Some people asked for more advance notice or different ways to advertise the meetings.

Location

There were a number of suggestions for new geographical locations in the north where Café CAT could happen, including Liverpool and Sheffield. We were pleased to hear some respondents’ enthusiasm to have Café-style meetings in more distant locations like London, Brighton and Wales, although obviously this would be way beyond the Catalyse remit.

Topics and leaders

One or two suggestions were made for issue-based topics but unfortunately no volunteers came forward to lead a future session. We concluded that those within the northern CAT communities may be a shy and/or a very busy lot.

What did we conclude?

  • To explore different venues in Manchester, especially ones offering food and refreshments. We thought a more central venue might make for easier travel by public transport.
  • To experiment a little with the structure of the meeting, perhaps opening up topics to broader issues and encouraging a diversity of people to lead.
  • To arrange and advertise dates well in advance
  • Planning ahead is most possible if we can identify volunteers willing to start off the meeting with their perspective on a topic of particular interest. Volunteers please!
  • We can pay Café ‘leaders’ £40 for their preparation time and initial direction at meetings. There will always be members of the Catalyse group present to provide support and help keep the conversation flowing.
  • To advertise more widely to reach everyone, via NWPPN, plus local core training courses such as clinical and counselling psychology doctorates. If you have contacts with other networks (eg psychiatry trainees, therapeutically minded GPs, social workers, etc) please do share flyers or point them to our website.
  • There’s no reason why CAT colleagues in the north can’t set up their own regular local meetings outside of Manchester. We could provide support and mentoring for this, but local meetings don’t have to be under the Catalyse/Café CAT umbrella. You might have ideas about how informal CPD and networking will work best in your own context. Several models exist, including regional ACAT groups, Collaborate CATchup meetings in Cambridge, and CAT Cumbria meetings in the Lakes.

Next steps

So for the start of 2019 we will make some of these changes and very much hope that you will join us on the 30th. Further plans for Cafe CAT in 2019 will be agreed in January and we welcome any further feedback on the timing and choice of venue as well as what may make it something of value for you. We’d especially like to hear from anyone with a topic they’d like to share and explore with a group of colleagues. Consider leading a future conversation.

For more information about Café CAT, check out the hashtag #CafeCatalyse on Twitter, take a look at the page at this link, or read Clive Turpin’s last blog about it – Cafe CAT:the Story So Far