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Brighton CAT Practitioner Training
1st October 2017 to 1st July 2019

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Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT) Practitioner Training

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust in association with ACAT

Closing date for applications: 31st July 2017

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CAT Practitioner Training
Cognitive analytic therapy is a time limited psychotherapy (normally 16 to 24 sessions) which integrates theories derived from cognitive psychology, psychoanalytic psychotherapy (mainly object relations) and ideas derived from Vygotsky and Bakhtin. CAT involves developing an active collaborative therapeutic relationship with the patient and is particularly applicable to work in NHS settings with people with complex needs.

CAT Practitioner Training is relevant to the needs of a diverse range of care professionals who wish to establish CAT as one of their core skills.

Qualification
Following successful completion of the course trainees will be accredited to practise CAT within their core professions and will be entitled to become full members of the Association for Cognitive Analytic Therapy (ACAT).

The course is also relevant to individuals who wish to acquire the Practitioner Training as a prelude to applying for further training as a CAT Psychotherapist and registration with the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP). This involves further selection procedures and two additional years of training on completion of the Practitioner Training.

Course Structure
The course runs from October 2017 to July 2019.
Each year is divided into three modules: September/October to December, January to March, and April to July. The intake for this course is biennial. This course is a sister course to the CAT Practitioner training in South London, and intakes will be timed so that together we provide an annual intake for the South East of England.

Training Days
Each module will begin with a two day training workshop and conclude with a one or two day training workshop. In total there will be ten training days a year. Training days will consist of a combination of lectures, presentations, small groups and experiential work focussing on personal exploration and the development of CAT skills and their clinical application. These will be facilitated by course co-ordinators and guest trainers.

Training Themes
The themes covered by the course over the two years include the development of the self and damage to the self, the therapeutic relationship, transference and counter-transference, CAT theory (Procedural Sequence Object Relations Model, Reciprocal Role Relationships, Self States), CAT Skills (Psychotherapy File, Target problems, Target Problem Procedures, Prose and Diagrammatic Reformulations, Goodbye letters), Assessment, CAT in context, self and society, use of time and models of change, CAT research, CAT applied to specialist settings/patient groups, CAT and the “hard to help” patient, CAT within organisations and teams, and issues of professional practice and personal development.

Seminars
These support and extend the work of the training days and each module will have 12 hours of seminar meetings. Seminars will consist of small groups meeting with a seminar leader who will facilitate a mixture of problem based learning, experiential work and guided reading. Some seminars will be peer led. It may be possible to attend some seminars via videoconference from distance (work or home if there is a suitable internet connection).

Tutorials
Each trainee will meet with their individual tutors three times a year (once each module) to plan and evaluate their individual learning process.

Supervised Clinical Work
Supervision takes place weekly for one and a half hours in groups of 3 trainees with an accredited CAT Supervisor. Clinical work is for a minimum of two years but usually takes longer (on average it takes 3 years to complete 8 cases). Most trainees opt to take up a clinical placement within Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, where supervision is provided at no charge if the trainee sees Trust patients on an honorary (no payment) basis. However some trainees may prefer to arrange their clinical placements in other NHS Trusts or settings (each placement needs to be approved in advance by the Course Director as meeting all requirements of the training). Any cost incurred for this supervision outside of Sussex Partnership must be met by trainees. Trainees are expected to remain in Clinical Supervision for the duration of the course or until course requirements are fulfilled. Trainees are normally expected to be on placement within an NHS setting. Placements are available at various sites within Sussex but it cannot be guaranteed that every trainee will be able to attend a nearby clinical supervision placement, so some travel may be necessary. Clinical placements are separate from the course and hence the cost of supervision is not included in the fees for this course.

Clinical Work
Trainees will be expected to work with a minimum of 8 patients with a range of difficulties including the “hard to help”. All trainees are usually expected to see at least 4 adult mental health patients. Where the trainee works with more specialised clinical populations and where the supervisor agrees it, the remaining 4 cases can usually be with other clinical populations. Two cases are normally carried concurrently wherever possible. Trainees should have the experience of 6 x 16 session CATs together with 2 other CATs, which are usually longer (24 sessions). Course staff have a range of interests and experience.

Personal Psychotherapy
Each trainee will be expected to complete a minimum of a 16 session weekly personal CAT during the first year of the course. The cost of this is not included in the fees for the course.

Written Work
One case study and one theory paper each year. Final accreditation may involve a viva. In addition trainees need to ensure they allow sufficient time for private study.

Psychiatric Placement
In cases where a trainee may not have sufficient psychiatric experience, a placement will be an additional component to the course.

Ethical Practice
Trainees will become Trainee members of ACAT and will be expected to work within ACAT’s Code of Practice and Ethics for Members, as well as within their Appeals and Complaints Procedures.

Assessment
Successful completion of the course will comprise of:

Regular attendance at all aspects of the course (85%); satisfactory completion of case studies, written papers and viva within specified timescales; completion of clinical practice requirements; satisfactory reports from trainers and supervisors; and completion of a personal therapy.

Course Location
The taught components will take place in an appropriate NHS site in Brighton and Hove. Seminar groups and clinical supervision groups will also be available in Brighton, and may additionally be available within other NHS sites in East Sussex and Kent.

Teaching Team
The core course team comprises of Robert Marx, Jane Blunden, Val Coumont, Hilary Brown, John Bristow and Lis Mason. Other staff are involved as guest speakers, supervisors, tutors and markers. The course is committed to drawing on service user expertise in delivering the training.

Cost
Training Fees are £3500 per annum per trainee. This includes the cost of training days, seminars, tutorials, marking, and ACAT’s annual registration fee for the duration of the taught part of the course. It does not include the cost of course books, personal psychotherapy and supervision (see section on ‘Supervised Clinical Work’). The course organisers reserve the right to increase fees in Year Two, although the intention is that they remain the same as Year One and will only increase due to unforeseen circumstances.

Criteria for Application
Applicants will generally be expected to be current members of a health-care profession with 2 years post qualification experience and to have had prior experience and/or training in psychotherapy/ counselling at an introductory level. Applicants will be expected to be currently working within a clinical setting. Applicants without a health-care profession may be considered if they can demonstrate evidence of equivalent experience through a mixture of the following elements: attendance at a CAT Introductory Weekend or Introductory Lecture Course, supervised clinical experience, theoretical teaching gained from other counselling/psychotherapy training courses, experience of working within a mental health setting, experience of personal psychotherapy.

How to Apply
The Course Director is Dr Robert Marx.
For an application form or further enquiries please contact the Course Administrator, Niki Larsen.
Email: niki.larsen@sussexpartnership.nhs.uk
Tel: 0300 304 0094
Address: Niki Larsen, CAT Practitioner Training Course, East Brighton Community Mental Health Centre, Brighton General Hospital, Elm Grove, Brighton BN2 3EW.

Applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible as places are limited, and date of receipt of application will be taken into account if the course is oversubscribed. A minimum number of trainees are required for the course to go ahead.

Closing date for applications:  31st July 2017

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