Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT) is a collaborative, time-limited form of psychological therapy that helps people understand how their current difficulties are connected to patterns of thinking, feeling, and relating that developed through earlier life experiences.

CAT brings together ideas from cognitive therapies (which focus on thoughts and behaviours) and analytic approaches (which explore relationships and past experiences). The aim is not just to reduce symptoms, but to help people make sense of why they feel and respond in certain ways, especially when patterns feel stuck or hard to change.

A central idea in CAT is that we develop ways of relating to ourselves and others based on our early relationships. These are called reciprocal roles (for example, feeling judged and responding by being self-critical). Over time, these can become internalised and repeated, shaping how we experience ourselves and the world.

In therapy, you and your therapist work together to map out these patterns, often using a written reformulation letter and a diagram. This helps to identify procedures (habitual ways of coping), as well as common traps, dilemmas, or “snags” that keep difficulties going.

An important part of CAT is learning to recognise these patterns in the moment, which creates the opportunity for exits — new ways of responding that are more helpful, compassionate, and flexible. Rather than trying to get rid of parts of yourself, CAT aims to help you develop a different relationship with them, so you feel less stuck and more able to make choices.

CAT is typically a structured and focused therapy, often lasting between 8 and 24 sessions, and emphasises a strong, collaborative relationship between therapist and client throughout.