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Jenaway. A, 2023, "Meet the Vice-Chair of ACAT – Angela Coshland", Reformulation 2023, p.11
Questions by Alison Jenaway, Editor
Q1 How did you discover CAT?
In the late 90s I was offered the chance to sit in on a CAT case consultation group where I could discuss cases I was working with as a Psychiatric Nurse. I really felt a great affinity for the way of thinking about relationships. I was in that group for 1.5 years before I went on to do a practitioner training.
Q2 What is your day job?
I am the lead CAT clinician and supervisor in a Secondary Care Psychology & Psychotherapy service in Croydon, South London.
Q3 Who has had the biggest influence on your CAT journey?
It has been different people at different stages of my journey. If I had to name names, I would say my first supervisor from the late 90s until the early 2000s: Claire Tanner who introduced me to CAT and let me ask a million Questions (I saw her for lunch last week, and I am still probably asking her a million Questions!). Also Dupe Adu-White and Rhona Brown who I work with on the EDI committee, they are both people who I turn to when I need help and I respect them and their commitment to CAT & ACAT so much.
Q4 What made you want to get involved in the management side of ACAT?
I am really passionate about CAT and decided to stand as a Trustee some years ago as I wanted to support ACAT, I had no idea what was involved at the time. Alison Jenaway kindly invited me to observe a Trustee meeting so I had some sense of what went on, although to be honest, that first meeting made very little sense to me at the time! I kind of fell into the Vice-Chair role at the last AGM when we realised that we didn’t have the required number of officers required , so it was a last minute decision to take on the Acting Vice-Chair role so we could hold the AGM.
Q5 What have been the best bits of being involved as a Trustee and as Vice-Chair?
I have loved having time to think about the future of CAT and to help support the organisation. I am truly excited about a new website that is in the works. I enjoy the in person meetings. Even though it’s a much bigger ask for the office staff and others to make the way to King’s Cross for those, It really does feel so good to all be together in one place and not over Zoom.
Q6 What have you found most difficult?
Trying to find time to do everything - juggling work, ACAT business and the IRRAPT course, whilst still having a personal life as well!
Q7 What should ACAT do if it were given a million pounds to spend?
Probably fund a large scale RCT, a few grants for people to write CAT books and more infrastructure and support for the admin team. A million pounds doesn’t really go very far these days…
Q8 Where would you most like to be right now?
Is saying on holiday too clichéd? Somewhere warm and sunny with a bag full of un-read books, my little dog and no wifi.