Precisely what their maladaptive patterns of behaviour look like and just how effective or otherwise their strategies have been in dealing with the difficulties with which they were and are now faced. Simply put, Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT) is a form of therapy in which the client and the therapist work closely together to establish how an individuals emotional or psychological problems arose, precisely what their maladaptive patterns of behaviour look like and just how effective or otherwise their strategies have been in dealing with the difficulties with which they were and are now faced. As in most cases the patterns stem from the clients earlier years and their relationships with significant others, this involves reaching back into their childhood. Once these have been identified, the aim of the therapy is to find new and better ways of coping which are relevant to their current lives and which will help them to overcome self-defeating thinking and behaviour and serve them long into the future.

CAT focuses its attention on relationships, as not only are these a prime motivation in life, but they also determine to a large extent who we become. It is designed to enable patients to gain an understanding of how they relate to others and what learned behaviours and perceptions from their own lives contribute to the way in which they interact. By enhancing their ability to recognise unhelpful behaviours, clients learn how to adopt an active, problem-solving stance and to develop social and relationship skills which help them to manage their lives more effectively.