CAT is similar to the above models in that it is time-limited, active and focused. The key difference is that CAT is predominantly concerned with patterns of behaviour and ways of being that originate from childhood you get repeated throughout our lives as though they are the only options available to us. These patterns are usually acted out unconsciously but nonetheless have a powerful and often destructive impact on our lives. The emphasis in CAT is therefore on understanding ourselves and why we are the way we are. It translates many psychoanalytical ideas into a far more accessible language and combines this with the active and focused approach of cognitive therapy.