Many of you tell us you find talking therapies such as counselling and psychotherapy really helpful. A programme called Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) has improved England's situation.
But there are still far too many of you who are not getting the treatment you deserve when you need it.
We're a part of the We Need to Talk Coalition, a group made up of:
- mental health charities
- professional organisations
- Royal Colleges
- service providers.
The Coalition believes in the effectiveness of psychological therapies. Together, the Coalition is calling for the maintenance and development of these treatments on the NHS.
What are talking therapies?
Talking therapy involves talking to a trained professional about your thoughts, feelings and behaviour.
"The assessment was incredible... I felt that someone finally understood. But when I was told that the wait after the assessment was 2 years, it felt like a real letdown, offering a lifeline and [then] snatching it away."
- Talking therapies service user
What we're fighting for
Getting the right therapy at the right time is crucial – it can help people to better manage their condition and, in many cases, recover fully. Talking therapies should be made available to everyone within 28 days of referral, and you should be offered a choice of therapy.
We want:
- a full choice of evidence-based psychological therapies made available to all
- a commitment to equality between mental and physical health
- increased access to psychological therapies for all
- more research and an improved evidence base for psychological therapies.
Talking Therapies good practice
We're campaigning for a wider choice of talking therapies and calling for therapies to be available when we need them, wherever we live. These good practice examples from our local Minds show how talking therapy services can effectively support people, and what good looks like.
