Entry to Year 2 CAT Practitioner Course
for ACAT Foundation Course Graduates
Catalyse welcomes applications from CAT Foundation Course graduates or those still in training who wish to complete a second year of CAT training to gain accreditation as an ACAT accredited CAT Therapist / Practitioner.
The CAT Foundation Course is equivalent to the first year of a CAT Therapist / Practitioner course in terms of the teaching and clinical content and written assignments. However, the therapy component is a brief personal reformulation experience. The Foundation Course is modular and designed so that graduates can apply to do a second year on any practitioner/therapist training course nationally. For more information from ACAT about the Foundation Course visit the link here.
For trainees considering year 2 with Catalyse from outside our usual catchment area you can set up or maintain your local supervision arrangements and attend the course teaching. You would join our practitioner training cohort as they enter their second year of the Catalyse CAT Practitioner training and become a full member of that cohort.
Course Components
Academic: Training Days and Seminars
You would attend the year 2 teaching programme, which is ten days spread throughout year 2. This is usually structured as two days in October and two days in November, then a further four days from January through to May. There is a two-day residential in June. Single days are Fridays and two day blocks are Thursdays and Fridays. You would join a seminar group of between three and six participants, meeting online for an hour and a half eight times a year (or equivalent).
Clinical Practice
As a year 2 trainee you would be in weekly supervision with an accredited CAT supervisor, usually carrying two CAT training cases at a time to complete four further therapies. This means that you meet the minimum of eight supervised cases for the Practitioner award. Supervision is ideally in groups of three trainees for 1.5 hours with a minimum of 40 sessions each year. Trainees are expected to attend regularly, and are required to be in supervision until the completion of all clinical work. This may extend up to a further six-months depending on the individual trainee’s case mix and circumstances.
Trainees need to develop the skill to practise 16 session CAT but should also gain experience in variations of the time limit of 8 session and 24 sessions. Of the eight cases required (which should include all three CAT Tools: Reformulation Letter, SDR and Goodbye Letter) six of these should be of 16 or more sessions Trainees need to accumulate broad clinical experience and for those working in specialist settings (e.g. forensic, eating disorders) they need to gain experience of doing CAT in other settings, usually by seeing at least two training cases from general adult services. Click here for more information on supervised clinical practice as part of CAT training.
Personal Development
As a Foundation Course graduate you will have completed a Personal Reformulation experience. At Practitioner level trainees are required to have an experience of CAT personal therapy during their practitioner training. This is a standard 16 session CAT conducted by an accredited CAT therapist. If you chose to complete a CAT therapy as part of Foundation training then this can ‘count’. Click here for further information on personal development and personal therapy as part of CAT training.
Assessment
Trainees are expected to attend a minimum of 85% of each element of the taught course. Clinical appraisals take place every six months. Written work for year 2 includes:
- An essay midway through the year addressing the application of CAT concepts in your clinical work;
- A case study at the end of each year. The Catalyse course requires the inclusion of a session recording with accompanying analysis and reflection to pass as a CAT practitioner. If this was not part of your Foundation Year 1 case study then this needs to be part of your Year 2 case study. Trainees need to arrange consent and data security to submit this but the course provides guidance on this;
Click here for details of practitioner training and the award from ACAT.
Venue
Training days are in Manchester, with the residential usually near Sheffield. Supervision groups run in various locations across the UK. Seminar groups run online in small groups. We provide a list of CAT training therapists. Trainees may have to be prepared to travel for therapy unless the therapist offers online therapy.
Application process
Applicants will be expected to demonstrate they are academically capable of undertaking year 2 which focuses on CAT with complex presentations and have appropriate access to clients. Therapists who do not have experience of working in secondary care or equivalent settings but who can demonstrate a level of experience in delivering psychological therapies addressing complexity, such that they wish to be considered for the Practitioner course are welcome to apply. Application form and guidance is provided under the downloads below.
Costs
- Initial application fee £25 :: If called for interview £60
- Academic Training: £2,600 per year (including ACAT registration fee of £87 per year)
- Supervision usually costs approx £1600 for the year. Alternatively, trainees may be able to get supervision within their workplace or may be able to negotiate free placements in exchange for seeing clients within the supervisor’s work setting (normally NHS)
- Personal Therapy (approx) £1020/£1360
- Optional additions: Books: four course texts, and the ACAT Annual conference
Teaching team
Principal trainers:
Some of the training days will include invited speakers with specialist knowledge and experience in a specific area.
How to apply
Entry to the second year of the course is through application and interview. Applicants are invited to submit:
- an application form (available as a download below) which includes the details of your completed Foundation Course credit
- a CV with two referees. Please also provide details of source of referrals, assessment arrangements and venue for seeing clients
- a personal supporting statement of around 750 words. Please give an indication of your current therapeutic approach; what you hope to gain from training in CAT; and why it is important for psychotherapists to develop an understanding of their own emotional life
- one case summary of around 500 words.
Shortlisted applicants will then be invited for an interview.
You can pay the application or interview fee online by clicking here. Before proceeding to pay online, please ensure you read and understand our terms and conditions.
If you wish to pay by cheque or bank transfer, please make payment with the Catalyse administrator for further details: admin@catalyse.uk.com
Dates
Please contact us if you are considering applying to year 2. We aim to interview prospective applicants alongside our year 1 applicants and the initial date for interviews is usually in May or June. The course usually commences on the first or second Thursday and Friday of October each year.
About Catalyse
Catalyse (formerly CAT North) has run a successful CAT Practitioner Training programme in the North of England since 1992. It is a not-for-profit organisation which also offers a range of other services. These include:
- other training programmes, including bespoke trainings for teams and organisations
- training films to help develop and scaffold skills in cognitive analytic therapy
- continuing professional development events
- personal reformulation for personal and professional development
- research, evaluation and other consultancy
The Catalyse Practitioner Training in cognitive analytic therapy is one of the regional trainings accredited by the Association for Cognitive Analytic Therapy (ACAT). You can find out more about ACAT accredited trainings at this link. Alternatively, you can contact ACAT by email via admin@acat.me.uk.
Downloads
The application form, application guidance, prospectus and FAQs are available to download below.
