ABSTRACT
For those working in the National Health Service, there may be issues to consider regarding the client’s general suitability for therapy, as well as questions about whether they meet the criteria of the service within which the therapist is based. It is also important to reassess suitability and risk issues if any client has been on a waiting list for therapy for a period of time. The client also needs to be oriented to the focus of therapy, which in Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT) may be best described as understanding the patterns that developed from our past experiences and how these impact on the present and keep us stuck/limited. Whilst CAT can be an effective treatment for personality disorder, and associated difficulties such as dissociation and flashbacks, therapy is not possible if each session is focused on ensuring client safety or if such behaviours are used in self-destructive or sabotaging ways by the client.
