ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to raise a number of possibilities and tensions in applying Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT) in individual therapy with women in the context of secure settings. It outlines the evidence for differential needs and the risk posed by and to women in forensic settings, and provides an illustrative case example of using CAT with women in prison. Current UK policy guidance recommends that service design, assessment and therapeutic interventions pay attention to the differential needs and risks associated with women’s entry into, experience of, and pathways out of such settings. In applying the basic tenet of a CAT approach as a collaborative relationship, the authors tentatively acknowledge the therapist’s differential positions in the system in relation to a woman client. Timing and pacing vary according to the individual needs of the woman, her experiences of the secure system, and the impact of cultural, class and gender dimensions.
