Autistic Adults’ Experiences of CAT
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Neurodiversity in Therapy: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of Autistic Adults' Experiences of Cognitive Analytic Therapy
IRAS ID
363157
Contact name
Beth Greenhill
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Liverpool
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 6 months, 29 days
Research summary
Research suggests that around 70% of autistic people also have a mental health condition that affects their daily lives (NICE, 2017). They are also at a higher risk of suicide (NICE, 2019). Despite this, many autistic adults in the UK find that mental health support doesn’t meet their needs. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is often recommended, and studies show it can lead to improvements according to clinicians, but this doesn’t always match the experiences of autistic people themselves (Wang et al., 2021). Qualitative research also shows that many autistic adults feel current mental health services are inadequate or even harmful, highlighting an ongoing gap in how professionals understand and respond to autistic people’s experiences in therapy (Brede et al., 2022).
One idea that could explain this gap is the ‘double empathy problem’ (Milton, 2012). This theory suggests that autistic and non-autistic people can struggle to understand each other’s emotions, intentions, and communication styles. This highlights the importance of therapy focusing more on the relationship and interaction between the therapist and the autistic client. Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT) is one approach that does this. However, there is currently very little research exploring how autistic people experience CAT.
This study aims to explore autistic adults’ experiences of CAT to see whether it can better meet their mental health needs. It will use qualitative interviews with 8–12 autistic adults who have received CAT. The interviews will be semi-structured and analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to identify key themes in their experiences.
An expert by experience (EbE) will work alongside the researcher as a co-producer throughout the study. Participants will be recruited through an accessible flyer and CAT clinicians. The interviews will be transcribed and analysed using NVivo, with the EbE helping to interpret the findings. Participants will receive a voucher as a thank-you and will also be offered a summary booklet of the study results.REC name
South West - Central Bristol Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
26/SW/0057
Date of REC Opinion
24 Jun 2026
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion