What is CAT Therapy and How Can It Help

14 Feb What is CAT Therapy and How Can It Help

CAT therapy means Cognitive Analytic Therapy. It is a type of talking therapy. It looks at how you think, how you feel, and how you act. It also looks at why you relate to people the way you do. A lot of the work is about patterns. The ones you learned early on and still repeat now.

At Future Edge Therapy we see many people who feel stuck in the same loops. Same arguments. Same worries. Same habits that don’t seem to change. CAT therapy can help you slow down and notice what is really happening.

It is used in the NHS and in private practice. It is based on real clinical work and research and it is time limited, which helps people stay focused.

How CAT therapy works

CAT therapy helps you map out your patterns. Most of us learned ways to cope when we were young. Some of those ways helped us get through things. But later in life they can start to cause problems.

In sessions, you and the therapist look at what keeps repeating. You talk about current life, and also about earlier experiences. Not in a vague way, it is more structured than people expect.

You get something called a reformulation letter early on. This is a written summary of what you have been through and what patterns might be there. You also build a simple diagram together. It shows how thoughts, feelings, and actions connect.

When you can see it written down, it makes more sense. You start to notice the pattern when it happens in real life. And then you can try to respond in a different way.

At Future Edge Therapy we sometimes use CAT therapy ideas alongside other trauma focused work. Things like EMDR. Understanding the pattern first can make deeper work feel safer.

Why people choose CAT therapy

CAT therapy is usually between 16 and 24 sessions. So there is a clear start and end. For some people that helps as it feels more contained and you know what you are working towards.

You spend time looking at what are called traps, snares, and dilemmas.

A trap is when you keep doing something that leads to the same outcome. You might try to please everyone to keep the peace. Then you feel worn out and overlooked. And it keeps happening.

A snare is when a belief about yourself shapes how you act. If you think people will reject you, you might pull back first. Then people don’t get close. And it feels like proof that the belief was right.

A dilemma is when you feel stuck between two choices. Speak up and feel guilty. Stay quiet and feel small. Neither feels good so you stay stuck.

CAT therapy helps you spot these cycles. And once you see them, you can start finding a way out. Not all at once. Just step by step.

Using CAT therapy for relationship problems

A lot of emotional pain shows up in relationships. With partners. With parents. At work. CAT therapy looks closely at the roles we take on with other people.

Some people feel they must be perfect to be accepted. Some feel they must look after everyone else. Some stay quiet because speaking up feels risky.

These roles often started when you were young. They made sense at the time but later they can lead to stress, burnout, and feeling like you are not enough.

At Future Edge Therapy we help people notice these roles and where they came from. This can be helpful for anxiety, trauma, self harm, and eating problems. These struggles are often linked to deeper patterns and ways of coping.

When you map out what leads up to certain urges or behaviours, things start to feel less confusing and you can look for safer ways to cope.

Starting CAT therapy with Future Edge Therapy

Starting therapy can feel hard. A lot of people think they need to have the right words ready. You don’t. Most people come in unsure. That is normal.

At Future Edge Therapy we offer a free 20 minute consultation. It is just a chance to talk and see if it feels right. No pressure. You can ask questions about CAT therapy or about other support we offer.

We work with people in Bedford, Milton Keynes, and Northampton. Some come to us because they don’t want to wait months for help. Some want a more structured type of therapy. CAT therapy can be one option.

Therapy is not about fixing something that is broken. It is more about understanding how you have coped up to now. And asking if those ways are still helping you. If they are not, then we work with you to build new ones. That is where real change starts.