Cognitive Analytic Therapy-informed Containment for Self-Harm (CATCH)

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is when somebody engages in self-harm, such as cutting, without meaning to end his or her life. A large number of people engage in NSSI for lots of reasons, for example to cope with emotions. However, currently there are large waiting lists to access psychological therapy through the NHS. Therefore, it is important to research brief therapies so that individuals who engage in NSSI can receive treatment quicker. One potentially helpful therapy suggested is Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT), which focuses on patterns in relationships. NSSI can be understood as a way in which people relate to themselves, which suggests that CAT would fit well in terms of understanding and working with these difficulties.

This study aims to evaluate a brief two-session CAT therapy for people who engage in NSSI. The project aims to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of the therapy, using interviews and questionnaires. This means looking at whether participants stick with the therapy, and how they find taking part in the therapy.

All participants will meet with a researcher for an initial session to complete baseline questionnaires about their current difficulties, thoughts and feelings. Participants will then be randomly allocated to a condition: either the therapy condition or the treatment-as-usual (TAU) condition. Participants in the therapy condition will receive two therapy sessions, whilst participants in the TAU condition will not receive any therapy sessions. All participants will attend a final session to complete more questionnaires. Participants will be asked to complete online surveys weekly. Some participants will be invited to take part in interviews about their experience of the therapy. All participants will receive a shopping voucher as compensation for their time. Using the data collected from this study, future work can be done to provide better treatment for people who engage in NSSI.


Eligibility Criteria:
Inclusion Criteria:

1. Be aged over 16 years (parental consent is not needed; The British Psychological Society, 2008)
2. Be comfortable with and have access to email and the internet for completing study measures
3. Be currently under or receiving support form clinical/health service including NHS, 3rd sector, or University health services
4. Following DSM-V (American Psychiatric Association, 2013), have had five or more instances of NSSI in the past year:

   • NSSI methods are operationalised to include cutting, burning, biting, or scratching oneself, as well as head-banging or self-poisoning.
5. Have an adequate English language ability to understand study materials
6. Be deemed capable of providing informed consent by their clinical team.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Be currently receiving any other psychological therapy (e.g. including but not limited to CBT and/or DBT), and will not have received psychological therapies in the last one month.
2. Have previously received any CAT
3. Have been diagnosed with Learning Disability or Autistic Spectrum Disorder as judged by clinical team - since the intervention has not been developed for this population
4. Be currently judged at high risk of suicidal behaviour (although if participants were keen to be involved, they could be considered when their mental health has improved).
5. Have been hospitalised as a result of self-harm in the past month