CATS™ Certified Adolescent Therapy Specialist
Relational · Attachment · Trauma
"Healing happens in relationship. Connection changes brains. Love, expressed through skilled therapeutic practice, transforms lives."
— Dr. Mark Mayfield
Teenagers are in crisis. The world needs clinicians who are genuinely, deeply equipped to help them.
THE NEED ISN’T THEORETICAL
Most clinicians received one survey course in adolescent development. One course.
That's orientation, not depth. The teenagers in our clinics deserve depth.
1 in 5
adolescents meets criteria for a major mental health disorder
188%
increase in emergency department visits for teen self-harm over the past decade
1 course
is all most clinicians received on adolescent development — and we expect them to treat the crisis with that
CATS WAS BUILT TO CLOSE THAT GAP
WHAT CATS GIVES YOU
Most clinicians received one survey course in adolescent development. One course.
That's orientation, not depth. The teenagers in our clinics deserve depth.
80 CE Hours
The most comprehensive adolescent CE certification available — quadruple the depth of comparable programs.
One unified framework
CBT, DBT, ACT, TF-CBT, EMDR, and MI all taught inside the RAT Framework. Coherent clinical philosophy, not isolated techniques.
10 hours supervised
Individual clinical supervision and peer case consultation built in as a core requirement, not an afterthought.
20 weeks, your pace
Self-paced online content, live virtual seminars, and supervision — designed to fit a working clinician's life.
A CATS GRADUATE IS NOT DEFINED BY CE HOURS.
You come out of this program a different clinician.
You lead with curiosity, not judgment.
You co-regulate before asking for self-regulation.
You understand symptoms as adaptations, not deficits.
You know that repair builds deeper bonds than perfection.
Meet Dr. Mark Mayfield
LPC (CO) · LPC-S (TX) · Author · Speaker · Clinician
Dr. Mark Mayfield has spent his career at the intersection of adolescent mental health, family systems, and trauma-informed care. As a licensed professional counselor in Colorado and Texas, a bestselling author, and a nationally recognized speaker, Mark brings both clinical depth and real-world clarity to everything he teaches.
He created CATS because he watched skilled clinicians leave graduate school under-equipped for the teenagers showing up in their offices — teens carrying anxiety, trauma, family rupture, and identity questions that demand more than a survey course
CATS is the program he wished existed when he started.
WHO THIS IS FOR
You come out of this program a different clinician.
Masters students: Post-practicum, enrolled in a regionally accredited programYou co-regulate before asking for self-regulation.
Licensed associates: LAC, LMSW, LAMFT, or state equivalent — building your clinical foundation
Licensed professionals: LPC, LCSW, LMFT, PhD/PsyD, or equivalent — deepening your adolescent specialization
Approved for continuing education through:
CACREP 2024 · NBCC · ACA · NASW · AAMFT
FOUNDING COHORT ONLY
$949.97
Regular price: $2,500–$3,500 | Save over $2,000 — first cohort only
Scholarships and payment plans available.
This is not just another certification.
This is a commitment to the next generation of clinicians who will staff the schools, clinics, and practices where teenagers seek help — grounded in research, relationally present, and genuinely equipped to make a difference.
Cohort starts June 1, 2026 · Application deadline May 15, 2026
Complete the form below to submit your initial application. After submitting, email your supporting documents to dr.mark.mayfield@gmail.com:
A letter of recommendation (from a clinical supervisor, academic director, or licensed colleague — on professional letterhead)
A copy of your current license or student enrollment verification
Your Statement of Intent (500–750 words — see prompts below)
Apply for the founding cohort
Statement of Intent
Write a statement of 500–750 words responding to all three prompts below. You may submit it as a separate document attached to your email. The admissions committee is looking for clinical identity and self-reflection — not a resume summary.
1. Your clinical background and what drew you to adolescents
Describe your clinical background and what has drawn you to work with adolescents. What do you find most rewarding — and most challenging — about this population?
2. A defining clinical moment
Describe one specific case or clinical moment that motivated your pursuit of adolescent specialization. What happened, what did you notice in yourself as the clinician, and what did it teach you?
3. What you want to build
What specific clinical competency do you hope to gain from CATS, and how do you intend to apply it in your work within the first year after certification?