Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT) was formally described as a model in 1985 but emerged from Dr Anthony Ryle's psychotherapy research and conceptual developments dating back to the mid-1960's. He was an early advocate for psychotherapy research and carried out descriptive, epidemiological and repertory grid studies as part of his practice as both a general practitioner and subsequently a psychotherapist.
In the years since then, research into applications of CAT has grown, while the application and adoption of the model has developed broadly. You can read more about CAT's evidence base through its dedicated listing.
Visit the listing of key CAT research summaries and publications over the last decade which are adding to CAT's evidence-base.
CAT's Evidence BaseACAT can offer advice and support to mental health professionals who wish engage in CAT research in the course of their clinical or academic work.
From time to time, ACAT can offer grants to support research that is consistent with its charitable objectives. To make decisions on funding support, we seek the advice of our Research Support Group. This group is composed of a panel of experts able to comment and advise on research ideas. The Research Support Group reviews funding applications and makes recommendations to ACAT’s Council of Management and Trustees.
ACAT does not carry out its own research.
ACAT activities promoting research have included:
Research updates are regularly included at those annual ACAT conferences which run for longer than one day. These primarily annual opportunities give researchers opportunities to present their ongoing or completed work, consult with colleagues, and seek research collaborators and/or participants. Such presentations also help to encourage and model practice-based research for CAT colleagues, and to invigorate and update their knowledge-base.
ACAT has run two past research conferences in collaboration with with Catalyse, a Practitioner Course provider. These showcased recent research into CAT, encouraged and inspired CAT therapists to get involved in research, and offered opportunities for established researchers to network. We hope to hold a further CPD day on research in the future.
We have produced and shared strategy documents to help prioritise areas of research into CAT.
Occasional fundraising for future research projects into CAT has meant that we have sometimes been able to provide grants to encourage research in priority areas. Recent examples of ACAT funding include a patient preference trial on the development of CAT Guided Self-Help (CAT-GSH) for Anxiety in NHS Talking Therapies services; and a feasibility randomised controlled trial looking at a brief CAT intervention for adults who self harm.
The first of these is now complete and has generated several publications providing evidence in support of CAT Guided Self Help (CAT-GSH) as an alternative to CBT-based guided self help, with comparable clinical outcomes. You can read more about the second project, the RELATE Trial, through the description of its protocol.
The final decision to award a research grant rests with ACAT’s Council of Management and Board of Trustees. To be considered for grant funding, research studies will have already received full ethical approval and will have satisfied, and be subject to the on-going monitoring of, the research governance of the organisation under which it is being conducted. This is usually a University or NHS Trust. We ask that researchers who have been awarded ACAT funding also provide us with periodic updates on progress.
Through the ACAT office we may be able to pair you with informal research support in the form of connection with an experienced researcher willing to help you think through early stages of research proposals. For example they may help you consider and refine research questions, appropriate methodologies, outcome measures, protocols, consent issues, and other aspects of practice-based research.
Separately from ACAT, on occasion, clinical psychologists who are also CAT practitioners may be happy to discuss developing specific CAT-informed projects within the clinical area in which they work. Typical areas include adult mental health, learning disabilities, child, forensics or older adults. Where possible, for trainee clinical psychologist doctorate research dissertations, they may be able to act as field supervisors alongside the university’s research supervisor.
Those writing up CAT-related research can draw on ACAT publication and communication channels to help share research findings, including this website and the regular Reformulation journal. Another option is to approach the editors of ICATA's International Journal of Cognitive Analytic Therapy and Relational Mental Health (ISSN 2059-9919).
"We understand how challenging it can be to persist through the many obstacles of clinically based NHS research. Sometimes we do not know which way to turn, therefore this service is offered as external advice - as a voluntary yet expert contribution - to support ACAT members in their research projects, whether doctorally driven or for service evaluation"
One of our informal research supporters, 2024
There are lots of ways to be involved with CAT research, whether you are offering support to others or looking for assistance with your own ideas or a project already underway. For example, you may want to:
If you want to connect with ACAT about research, or with one of its informal research support members, then please contact Maria Cross, ACAT Administration Manager, in the first instance at maria.cross@acat.me.uk
