CAT

Many people suffering from a severe mental illness (SMI) experience difficulties in everyday functioning, such as cleaning the house, shopping for groceries or using public transportation. These difficulties arise from problems in planning, concentration and memory: the executive functions. With Cognitive Adaptation Training (CAT) we try to get around these problems by using environmental supports.

These environmental supports are used to compensate for the cognitive problems, and help people suffering from SMI to manage their lives better, with less support. CAT may for instance lead to a more organised living environment or better personal hygiene.

Developing a CAT-plan

The development of a plan consists of several steps. First, the individual goals and needs are determined by using the environmental functional assessment: an instrument which helps to identify, estimate, and evaluate the environmental impacts on different aspects of everyday functioning. Second, cognitive tests are used to establish the level of executive functioning. Third, the Frontal Systems Behavior Scale helps to identify if the person has trouble getting started or trouble staying organised. Fourth, these information is combined and used to create an individual plan with personalised environmental supports.