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Update on ACAT’s Collaboration with Doctorate Courses in Clinical Psychology

Dawn Bennett, ACAT Vice Chair of Training Committee, 2016. Update on ACAT’s Collaboration with Doctorate Courses in Clinical Psychology. Reformulation, Summer, pp.44-45.

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A year ago I reported on the discussions and review of ACATs training portfolio and training strategy, describing the levels of our training and awards. One potential development that I referred to at that stage was a collaboration with DClinPsychol courses to include a CAT accreditation within clinical psychology professional training. There has been a lot of interest and support for this so I wanted to let you know where we are up to. I’ll first outline the portfolio so that you can see where this development will ‘sit’ in the broader portfolio of our trainings. 

ACAT accredits CAT Skills, CAT Foundation, CAT Practitioner/Therapist and CAT Psychotherapist Training Courses that are run in a number of centres in the UK and Ireland. The two year CAT Practitioner/CAT Therapist course, currently delivered in thirteen centres, constitutes the first two years of the CAT Psychotherapy training. Regarding the shorter courses, in 2015 ACAT piloted two one year CAT Foundation courses for IAPT staff (Somerset and East Anglia) in response to a request to develop this level of training in CAT. This course was designed to be modular based allowing successful graduates to be eligible to apply for and continue training in CAT and enter year 2 of a CAT Practitioner training. The CAT skills training (6 months course) is a standalone training for Mental Health Professionals to use CAT concepts in their work and is not a 1-1 therapy training. 

All the courses adopt a module structure that was refined through our link with Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) when the Practitioner course was a dual award (ACAT and PG Diploma). The content and learning objectives of the practitioner course continue to be defined in terms of 8 modules with each assessment (4 clinical appraisals every 6 months and 2 essays and 2 case studies, one every 6 months) relating to each module. The new Foundation course is four modules.

The ACAT training strategy distinguishes two forms of training in terms of possible routes, specifically whether they are likely to lead to a ‘CAT career’ or not. The foundation course and the CAT Practitioner/CAT Therapist course (career route) is for those using CAT in one-to-one therapy roles. The non career route is focused on CAT Case Management Skills, with a contextual focus and suited to generic workers or practitioners not in therapy roles. CAT would be used to enhance their current role. 

Completion of the 2 year CAT Practitioner training (by whatever means) is a transition point to Supervisor training, Trainer development/accreditation and further CAT (Psychotherapist UKCP) training. CAT Practitioner training is recommended as the basis for using CAT as a consultancy model, specifically for taking the consultant role; for running CAT groups, for delivering Brief Reformulation sessions for the CAT skills and Foundation courses.

Since the Summer of 2015, ACAT has been collaborating with Doctorate courses in Clinical Psychology. The British Psychological Society (BPS) requires trainees from cohorts starting in October 2016, to qualify in at least two models of psychological therapy. A number of courses have been keen to offer CAT as a second model and ACAT has been involved in exploring this option. We have approved a training route for clinical psychology trainees to work towards the equivalent of a one year course within their three year DClinPsychol training programme. This will be a Foundation level training in CAT equivalent to the one year courses in IAPT sites for High Intensity Therapists (HITs) and the first year of CAT Practitioner training. 

At the present time four DClinPsychol courses are likely to proceed (Lancaster, Liverpool, Sheffield and Exeter) with a fifth also interested (Salomons). The course outline is: Ten training days delivered by a CAT course team, four supervised CAT cases supervised by ACAT accredited supervisors, assessed written work (an essay and a case study) and a brief personal reformulation experience (a three hour session with a CAT therapist). The course will have a designated CAT Lead acting as CAT Course Director. Those completing this training are then eligible to apply for a second year if they wish to complete CAT Practitioner training. 

In order to support this development DClinPsychol courses will develop the teaching programme in line with an ACAT core curriculum. Teaching has to be delivered by those trained to at least CAT practitioner level and so courses may call on local CAT Practitioners to contribute to this. Some of this training may be as ‘masterclass’ CAT options for trainees across courses (e.g. North West courses). 

In terms of the personal development component, ACAT would support CAT therapists sharing expertise in the brief personal reformulation experience model through training/supervisory workshops. At a later stage, we will contact the membership to identify therapists able to offer this work. 

Supervised practice of four cases for a growing number of trainees will be the most challenging area. Clinical psychology trainees need to see four CAT training cases supervised by ACAT accredited supervisors over the three years of their professional training (with one additional year for completion). Although there are CAT placements across the country allied to clinical psychology courses there will be a shortfall. CAT Practitioner courses will obviously continue to run and these courses will also need accredited supervisors. To support the DClinPsychol developments we will explore various models of providing CAT supervision. CAT supervisors can still offer the usual six month placements to trainee clinical psychologists and the trainee can build cases in this way but there will also be the option for more flexible models so that accredited CAT supervisors could offer group CAT supervision for trainees whilst not the main placement supervisor. This model will be similar to that on our CAT practitioner courses. Whatever model we adopt we need to increase the number of ACAT accredited supervisors. The group of trainers in Clinical Psychology wish to work with ACAT to facilitate this development and building a larger pool of supervisors in an important step. 

Proposed events to take this forward

We are currently hoping to offer two ACAT Supervisor Training courses in conjunction with courses and NHS Trusts who wish to increase the number of ACAT accredited supervisors. These are additional to those courses usually run by ACAT. Priority attendance is for those willing and able to supervise Clinical Psychology Trainees. One will be held in Liverpool and one in Sheffield. 

In addition, the Lancaster DClinPsychol course hopes to offer a CPD day for CAT Practitioners as part of building a CAT community around the course, with time dedicated to planning to support and sustain the development and identifying supervisors who wish to embark on ACAT accredited supervisor training. Further details will follow about these once they are finalised.

For those of you interested to train as supervisors please look at the Supervisor Training section of the ACAT website to begin to prepare for this.

Contacts: Dawn Bennett is the overall contact within ACAT for this initiative (Dawnebennett@btintenet.com) with Susan Mitzman for Liverpool; Cathy Amor and Anna Daiches for Lancaster; Sue Walsh for Sheffield; Jason Hepple for Exeter.

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Full Reference

Dawn Bennett, ACAT Vice Chair of Training Committee, 2016. Update on ACAT’s Collaboration with Doctorate Courses in Clinical Psychology. Reformulation, Summer, pp.44-45.

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