Past Catalyse Events
Mentalising in
Cognitive Analytic Therapy
A workshop designed for CAT therapists, CAT trainees, or other qualified therapists who may have an interest in integrative therapy and practice
led by Mandy Wildman
This event has now passed.
Feedback on the event:
“Excellent workshop. Feeling inspired to go and try several new things within my CAT practice.”
Course Details:
Dates: 7th July, 2015 (Tuesday)
Time: 9:30am to 4:30pm
Venue: Dalton Ellis Hall, University of Manchester, M14 5RL
Fee: £95 – ACAT members :: £120 – non-ACAT members
(This CPD day includes lunch, refreshments and course handouts)
The objectives of this one day workshop:
To inform workshop participants of the background and theory of mentalisation, and
- To highlight the relevance and usefulness of mentalisation within a therapeutic relationship and the therapy work
- To contextualise this within a CAT framework and CAT therapy, both individual and group
- To apply the theoretical learning experientially by using ‘live’ clinical material and by role play in small groups – this latter exercise being to enhance the learning experience and practical usefulness of the workshop
The aims of the training:
- to offer information and knowledge that is directly transferable to enhance clinical practice
- to work with ‘difficult to reach patients’ more effectively
- to enhance staff resilience and capacity to manage stressful working environments and caseloads
- to be applicable to both individual and group therapy in a wide variety of clinical settings and services
Further information for course attenders:
It is not necessary for workshop participants to have prior knowledge of mentalisation. For those who may like to read something before the workshop there is an article by Jon Allen on the Menninger Clinic webpage (under clinical resources) titled Understanding Mentalising. For a more detailed account, Mentalising in Clinical Practice J Allen P Fonagy A Bateman. American Psychiatric Publishing. 2008
About Mandy Wildman:
I worked within the NHS and social care settings for 25 years and have recently taken early retirement from the NHS to work privately. Having worked in both community and hospital based settings I latterly worked, as a manager and clinician, in forensic mental health services. I worked from 1996 as an associate member of the Lancaster Psychotherapy Clinic (NHS) and have formal training and clinical skills in group psychotherapy, psychodynamic therapy, CAT, forensic behavioural science and Mentalisation Based Therapy. I am a CAT Practitioner and am currently completing the IRRAPT course, I have a long standing special interest in working with PTSD and complex ‘hard to reach’ patients. My Masters Degree was in developing enhanced practice with people with personality disorder. I was part of a small team developing and facilitating the first MBT programme within the NHS Trust I worked with. I was also part of a Service Development Team, creating new PD services for offenders. In addition to a management role I continued to have a clinical caseload, utilizing a CAT model in both individual work and in working with teams in creating contextual reformulations and developing a CAT team approach. I currently work with Group Analysis North (GAN), the North West outpost of the Institute of Group Analysis. GAN provides group work and group psychotherapy training, supervision, Median Groups and Reflective Practice Groups within the North West. I also have a small private practice, often using CAT in individual work. I have some experience of teaching staff in clinical and educational settings, having, in the past, offered sessions to the Masters in Personality Disorder UCLAN and to the Clin Psych Course at Lancaster University. More recently I have provided training to staff in developing a CAT informed approach to working in a rehabilitation service in North Lancs. I have also more recently been able to work with local community and voluntary services in offering low fee therapy and in supporting service user led initiatives.
