Experiences of CAT Within Forensic Mental Health Services.

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  What Are Peoples Experience of Receiving Cognitive Analytic Therapy Within Forensic Mental Health Services?

• IRAS ID

  349794

• Contact name

  Joe Lester

• Contact email

  q5165631@live.tees.ac.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  Teesside University

• Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier

  N/A, N/A

• Duration of Study in the UK

  1 years, 0 months, 30 days

• Research summary

  Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT) is a time-limited integrative psychotherapy influenced by both cognitive and analytic tradition. CAT is often used with service users who present with complex mental health difficulties who may be more difficult to engage in treatment because of underlying relational issues.

  There is a growing increase in this form of therapy being used within forensic mental health services. The application of CAT within forensic settings is still being developed and has been critiqued for its limited evidence base usually in the form of case studies and through practice-based evidence. A key element of developing practice-based evidence is obtaining the perspectives of those using services.

  To date there is currently no research exploring the experience of receiving a full course of CAT within forensic mental health settings. The aim of our study is to address this gap and explore service users lived experience of receiving a full course of CAT within forensic mental health services. It is hoped that this study would provide valuable insights to inform clinical practise, help to improve the delivery of CAT and potentially lead to improved clinical outcomes when working with this population.
  
  We are inviting service users to take part in semi-structured interviews, exploring their lived experiences of Cognitive Analytic Therapy within a forensic mental health setting. Interviews will be conducted in person, individually and will approximately take 1 hour.

• REC name

  North West - Greater Manchester West Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  25/NW/0206

• Date of REC Opinion

  14 Jul 2025

• REC opinion

  Favourable Opinion