Cognitive Analytic Psychotherapist Sara Casado and her employing trust have kindly shared a blog and video about how cognitive analytic therapy ideas have been used to help describe and respond to the impact of the COVID 19 pandemic on NHS staff.
The following short video was developed by our Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT) specialist interest group (SIG) members in Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust (KMPT). The video depicts the voices of a range of multidisciplinary staff describing their experiences of working in the NHS during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Some of the voices are from staff working on the frontline in the Acute Hospitals across Kent and Medway. The video pools together those voices into a CAT map. We wanted to share this map as a tool to aid other clinical and non-clinical staff. It is relevant to both individuals and teams. We know that the pandemic has often led to fragmentation and splits in groups of people. On occasion this has led to difficult interactions at this time of great uncertainty and anxiety.
The written map might not have made sense straight away to those who did not know about CAT maps. We therefore added a narrative and pictures to make it easily accessible for all.
We hope this can be a useful discussion aid for both individuals and teams. People can use it to reflect on how they are doing as we continue through the pandemic. These stressful times force us to live with ongoing uncertainty and fatigue, and it may help teams to support each other.
KMPT published the video on its staff website and wellbeing hub. Members of the CAT SIG have also used it in a number of facilitated sessions requested by staff groups.
We hope that this resonates with you personally and may help as we continue to work in these difficult times. We felt CAT is such a wonderful way to capture these relational difficulties in a clear way. CAT can help us understand how blame arises in difficult times. It can also help us as individuals step back from blaming one another. We know for staff who have seen this, it has helped them make sense of themselves. We hope that you find this too.
Sara Casado, Consultant Psychologist & CAT Psychotherapist & Supervisor, Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care NHS Partnership Trust
The Impact of the COVID Pandemic on NHS Staff © 2022 by Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care NHS Partnership Trust is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
You may also be interested in another blog which outlines how CAT was used elsewhere to help reflect on the impact of COVID 19 on healthcare staff. Read more about the COVID Struggles List at this link – https://www.engage.acat.org.uk/the-covid-struggles-list/