About Us

[Our WHY]

Leeds Centre for Attachment and Trauma (LCAT) was created as a defiant act of hope and belief.  Our belief that therapy should be transformative and an investment that changes your future. Our belief that if you require specialist support, you deserve a therapy service that is equipped to offer just that. There’s no run of the mill therapy on offer here.  

Instead, you’ll find a service that really understands children’s development, the impact of trauma and the importance of attachment relationships across the lifespan. And because of this, we’ve chosen to focus on these unique groups of people:  

    • Children and young people with attachment, trauma and other additional needs  
    • Children who are Educated Otherwise Than At School (EOTAS)
    • Those who are neurodiverse 
    • Family groups  
    • Adults who’ve experienced attachment difficulties and /or trauma.  

Within these groups we have some unique specialisms, including:

    • Work with eating disorders
    • Recovery from sexual (or other forms of) abuse
    • Anxiety and emotional regulation difficulties
    • Gender identity
    • Fostering, Kinship and Adoption work. 

[Our SKILLS]

Finding the right therapist is hard. We know, because so many people come to us having tried therapies that haven’t worked or seen therapists that weren’t a great fit. We often say that effective therapy is the ‘golden trio’, consisting of: 

    • Right time 
    • Right therapist 
    • Right approach 

Right time… 

If you’re sick and tired of being sick and tired, it’s probably the right time. We’ll work with you to understand your motivation and needs and suggest how we could support you. It’s also important to consider whether you’re ready for the financial, practical and emotional commitment of starting therapy. This is a big investment in yourself and your future.  

Right therapist…

Have a look at our testimonials and services. These offer a flavour of who we are and how we practice. After that, we’d suggest booking a free consultation where you can get a sense of us, ask any questions and where’ll make some suggestions of what could be helpful. If we think something else might be a better fit, we’ll offer recommendations of other approaches you may want to try. 

Right approach… 

Here you’ll find a service able to integrate multiple therapeutic approaches into one coherent package of support, tailored just to you. We won’t squeeze you into a one size fits all model, offered with an arbitrary timescale. Instead, we’ll get to know you and make recommendations based on the information you share. We’ll work collaboratively to agree your therapy goals and have the skill, training, grit and compassion to help you meet them.   

[Our ETHICS] 

LCAT is an inclusive, safe space where everyone is welcome and supported, providing a compassionate environment for all who seek care and understanding. We work with a lot of wonderful differences: neurodiverse children, young people and adults; those with complex histories; those who are seeking to understand or embrace their gender identity – just to name a few. Come and be welcome, just as you are. 

We also believe that high quality specialist therapy should be available to all who need it. Discovering greater psychological healing changes lives and has a positive impact upon society at large. That’s why we’re a not-for-profit social enterprise: our long-term vision to increase access to transformative care for those who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford it. 

[Our JOURNEY]

LCAT is led by experienced psychotherapists, Cat Tatman and Em Inman.  

Cat and Em are innovative clinical leaders, sharing many years’ experience working and leading in CAMHS and Third Sector services. Sharing a passion for social justice and recovery from complex trauma, Cat and Em are committed to offering truly effective therapy for children, young people and adults.   

Our name and strapline have been carefully chosen to convey who we are and what we do. Here you’ll find a service that can truly address relational difficulties, big and small. The result is a life of improved relationships, greater connection, and increased joy.   

“Cat just gets it”

I’ve found Cat very approachable, efficient, knowledgeable and professional, whilst being very thoughtful of the family’s needs and she has come across extremely empathetic […] parents have expressed feeling very understood and that it felt like “Cat just gets it”. One of the parents said to me, that the one hour with Cat felt so much better than the parent support they’ve received from a practitioner at CAMHS who has been offering a parent-support role for nearly a year.

Adoption Support Worker

You help us stay closer to hope...

This is just a huge thank you from both of us for all your compassion and wisdom that you guide us with. We learn so much, every single time – from the way you embody compassion as much as all the rest. We would be having a very different experience with [our daughter] if it wasn’t for all your support. You help us stay closer to hope (rather than despair) and we cannot think of a bigger gift.

Parents of an 11-year-old child with additional needs.

Thank you!

LCAT offers us a warm and compassionate space to be seen and explore things at our own pace. We are so glad to have found you.

Parents of an adopted 7 year old child.