Access to talking therapies: We need to talk
The assessment was incredible... I felt that someone finally understood. When I was told that the wait after assessment was two years it felt like a real let down, offering a lifeline and [then] snatching it away.
Campaign for psychological therapies
Psychological therapies – such as counselling and psychotherapy – can be very effective for treating mental health conditions. However, they are not always easily available on the NHS and some people can wait years for treatment.
Although the Government’s Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme has improved the situation, far too many people are still not getting the treatment that they need. Because of this, we have launched a major new phase of our long-running We Need to Talk campaign.
We believe:
Appropriate psychological therapies should be available for all who need them.
What we are fighting for
We want:
- A wide range of evidence-based psychological therapies should be made available to all;
- Therapy should be available within 28 days of requesting referral;
- The IAPT programme should be completed as planned.
Take action
- Use our campaign toolkit to lobby your election candidates
- Be a media volunteer
- Become a Mind campaigner
Find out more
- Read our latest campaign briefing.
- The New Savoy Declaration (PDF) on access to psychological therapies.
- The case for psychological therapies - Professor Lord Richard Layard.
- Read the We Need to Talk report on why the Government should improve access to psychological therapies.
- Read the While We are Waiting report on people's experiences of waiting for psychological therapies on the NHS.
The following organisations support We need to talk:
