Will CAT therapy help me?

Research evidence suggests that CAT works (e.g. see the work by Steve Kellett in 2019).

Many people do benefit from CAT.

It is important to remember that psychological therapy has the power to positively change someone’s life, but therapy also carries risks as well as benefits. CAT offers ways to help guide effective therapy and CAT has safeguards within the structure of the approach. There are several factors that influence the outcome of therapy so there are no guarantees that you will get the results that you want.

For example, the outcome you get is influenced by whether you want to and are ready to work on developing further understanding of what’s going on for you and making positive changes. Another important predictor of the outcome of therapy is the working relationship that you and your therapist develop together.

Is CAT therapy like seeing a kind friend who listens sympathetically to me?

CAT involves seeing a professional who listens to you, is compassionate and works side by side with you. You both bring expertise to therapy; together you will develop a joint psychological understanding of what’s going on for you that can then guide a helpful way forward. CAT involves working together in an active change process and this is different to seeing a kind friend who listens to you.

We know that meeting regularly with someone who listens and is kind can be positive, but it is not enough to make effective positive changes that last. Therapy involves much more than this and to be effective you need to want to commit to the process.