Talking therapies, or psychological therapies, are effective and confidential treatments delivered by fully trained and accredited NHS practitioners. They can help with common mental health problems like stress, anxiety and depression.
You can access talking therapies for free on the NHS.
You can refer yourself directly to an NHS talking therapies service without a referral from a GP, or a GP can refer you.
NHS talking therapies services are also known as Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) services.
These services are still open and accessible during coronavirus (COVID-19). Help is available in person, by video, over the phone or as an online course.
Information:
There are also simple steps you can take to look after your mental health.
The Every Mind Matters website offers expert advice to help improve your wellbeing, as well as practical tips on sleep, coping with money worries and self-care.
Urgent help in a crisis
If you or a loved one are having a mental health crisis, you can call a local NHS mental health helpline for 24-hour advice and support:
Find a local NHS urgent mental health helpline
You can call for yourself, your child, your parent or someone you care for.
If someone’s life is at risk or they cannot be kept safe, call 999 or go to A&E.
What are talking therapies?
Talking therapies can help with common mental health problems like stress, anxiety and depression.
Which therapy you are offered depends on which one has been shown to be most helpful for your symptoms.
Here are a few examples:
- Guided self-help – where a therapist coaches you as you work through a self-help course in your own time, either using a workbook or an online course.
- Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) – based on the idea that thoughts, feelings, what we do, and how our bodies feel physically, are all connected. CBT works to help us notice and challenge patterns of thoughts or behaviours so we can feel better.
- Counselling for depression – a type of counselling developed for people with depression.
Talking therapies are offered in different ways, including:
- using a self-help workbook with the support of a therapist
- as an online course
- one-to-one in person, over the phone or through video consultation
- in a group
See more about talking therapies
What can talking therapies help with?
You do not need to have a diagnosed mental health problem to refer yourself to an NHS psychological therapies service (IAPT).
Getting support as soon as you start having difficulties can help to reduce their impact.
You may be:
- feeling anxious
- feeling low and hopeless
- having panic attacks
- finding it hard to cope with day-to-day life
- struggling with flashbacks and nightmares
- feeling stressed
Perhaps you’re finding it hard to cope with work, life or relationships.
Other things that talking therapies can help with include:
- worrying
- obsessive thoughts or behaviours
- fear of social situations
- trouble sleeping
- phobias
If you’ve already been diagnosed with a mental health condition you can still refer yourself to an NHS psychological therapies service (IAPT), or a GP can refer you.
Talking therapies can also help if you have mental health problems resulting from other conditions, such as diabetes, cancer, long-term pain or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
What happens when you refer yourself
- Contact your local NHS psychological therapies (IAPT) service.
- Someone from the service will get in touch, usually within a few weeks.
- They’ll ask for more details about the problems you’re having. This is known as an assessment.
- If the service thinks they can help you, they’ll recommend a therapy for you. This is based on your symptoms and how severe they are.
- Waiting times for the first session vary. The service will tell you what to expect.
Information:
While you wait for your assessment or therapy to start, you can access expert advice and practical tips on the Every Mind Matters website.
Who can have talking therapies on the NHS?
Anyone who is registered with a GP can get talking therapies on the NHS, but you do not need a referral from a GP.
You can refer yourself directly to an NHS psychological therapies service (IAPT) online.
If your first language is not English, talking therapies can be delivered in your chosen language through multi-lingual therapists or confidential translators. Talking therapies are also available in British Sign Language (BSL) through SignHealth Psychological Therapy Service.
Young people
You need to be aged 18 or over. Some services offer treatment for young people aged 16 and 17, but you need to check this with individual services.
Children and young people who are not able to access adult talking therapies can get support with mental and emotional problems from their local children and young people’s mental health service (CYPMHS).
Pregnancy and new parents
If you’re feeling anxious or depressed during pregnancy or after becoming a parent you can also access NHS psychological therapies services.
Talk to your midwife, healthcare worker or GP about your mental health, or you can refer yourself to an NHS psychological therapies service online.
Older people
Talking therapies have been shown to be very successful and beneficial for older people.
Find out more about how talking helps on the Age UK website
Does my GP need to know?
Talking therapies services normally let your GP know that you are getting support. Your talking therapy team will explain what information will be shared confidentially with your GP and why this is important.
If there is anyone else you would like your information to be shared with, or if you have any concerns about what will be shared, talk to your therapy team.
Other places that offer free help
Some employers provide free counselling for their employees. Ask your HR department.
Most colleges and universities offer free counselling to students who need it. Read a blog about what to do if you’re a student and it’s all getting too much from Professor Prathiba Chitsabesan, National Clinical Director for Children and Young People’s Mental Health.
Some charities offer helplines, cheap or free talking therapies or group support.
Video: Psychological therapies for stress, anxiety and depression
Animated video explaining self-referral to psychological therapies services for stress, anxiety or depression.
Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health
Get our free Health Check email
Please enter a valid email address
Please enter a valid email address
I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice
Thanks for signing up to the
Health Check email
{{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}
People seeking help with their mental health are being kept on “hidden waiting lists”, with more than 122,000 patients waiting more than eight weeks to see a doctor again after their first appointment, The Independent can reveal.
Patients who received an initial talking therapy session were then told to wait longer for a follow-up appointment in 90 per cent of NHS clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in 2018-19, according to the Labour Party. CCGs are responsible for the planning of health services in local areas; there are currently 191 across England.
Described as “a hidden sucker punch”, average waits for second appointments exceeded the nationally set waiting time target of six weeks after first appointments in 55 per cent of CCGs.
The analysis, from House of Commons library research, refers to people accessing the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) scheme, which provides therapy for anxiety disorders and depression and has greatly cut waiting times for first appointments since being introduced in 2008.
But under the scheme 122,281 patients waited more than eight weeks for a follow-up appointment in 2018-19, with 11,416 more people left in this position than during the previous 12 months, analysis of the latest IAPT annual report showed.
Health news in pictures
Show all 40
1
/40
Health news in pictures
Health news in pictures
Coronavirus outbreak
The coronavirus Covid-19 has hit the UK leading to the deaths of two people so far and prompting warnings from the Department of Health
AFP via Getty
Health news in pictures
Thousands of emergency patients told to take taxi to hospital
Thousands of 999 patients in England are being told to get a taxi to hospital, figures have showed. The number of patients outside London who were refused an ambulance rose by 83 per cent in the past year as demand for services grows
Getty
Health news in pictures
Vape related deaths spike
A vaping-related lung disease has claimed the lives of 11 people in the US in recent weeks. The US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has more than 100 officials investigating the cause of the mystery illness, and has warned citizens against smoking e-cigarette products until more is known, particularly if modified or bought “off the street”
Getty
Health news in pictures
Baldness cure looks to be a step closer
Researchers in the US claim to have overcome one of the major hurdles to cultivating human follicles from stem cells. The new system allows cells to grow in a structured tuft and emerge from the skin
Sanford Burnham Preybs
Health news in pictures
Two hours a week spent in nature can improve health
A study in the journal Scientific Reports suggests that a dose of nature of just two hours a week is associated with better health and psychological wellbeing
Shutterstock
Health news in pictures
Air pollution linked to fertility issues in women
Exposure to air from traffic-clogged streets could leave women with fewer years to have children, a study has found. Italian researchers found women living in the most polluted areas were three times more likely to show signs they were running low on eggs than those who lived in cleaner surroundings, potentially triggering an earlier menopause
Getty/iStock
Health news in pictures
Junk food ads could be banned before watershed
Junk food adverts on TV and online could be banned before 9pm as part of Government plans to fight the “epidemic” of childhood obesity. Plans for the new watershed have been put out for public consultation in a bid to combat the growing crisis, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said
PA
Health news in pictures
Breeding with neanderthals helped humans fight diseases
On migrating from Africa around 70,000 years ago, humans bumped into the neanderthals of Eurasia. While humans were weak to the diseases of the new lands, breeding with the resident neanderthals made for a better equipped immune system
PA
Health news in pictures
Cancer breath test to be trialled in Britain
The breath biopsy device is designed to detect cancer hallmarks in molecules exhaled by patients
Getty
Health news in pictures
Average 10 year old has consumed the recommended amount of sugar for an adult
By their 10th birthdy, children have on average already eaten more sugar than the recommended amount for an 18 year old. The average 10 year old consumes the equivalent to 13 sugar cubes a day, 8 more than is recommended
PA
Health news in pictures
Child health experts advise switching off screens an hour before bed
While there is not enough evidence of harm to recommend UK-wide limits on screen use, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health have advised that children should avoid screens for an hour before bed time to avoid disrupting their sleep
Getty
Health news in pictures
Daily aspirin is unnecessary for older people in good health, study finds
A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine has found that many elderly people are taking daily aspirin to little or no avail
Getty
Health news in pictures
Vaping could lead to cancer, US study finds
A study by the University of Minnesota’s Masonic Cancer Centre has found that the carcinogenic chemicals formaldehyde, acrolein, and methylglyoxal are present in the saliva of E-cigarette users
Reuters
Health news in pictures
More children are obese and diabetic
There has been a 41% increase in children with type 2 diabetes since 2014, the National Paediatric Diabetes Audit has found. Obesity is a leading cause
Reuters
Health news in pictures
Most child antidepressants are ineffective and can lead to suicidal thoughts
The majority of antidepressants are ineffective and may be unsafe, for children and teenager with major depression, experts have warned. In what is the most comprehensive comparison of 14 commonly prescribed antidepressant drugs to date, researchers found that only one brand was more effective at relieving symptoms of depression than a placebo. Another popular drug, venlafaxine, was shown increase the risk users engaging in suicidal thoughts and attempts at suicide
Getty
Health news in pictures
Gay, lesbian and bisexual adults at higher risk of heart disease, study claims
Researchers at the Baptist Health South Florida Clinic in Miami focused on seven areas of controllable heart health and found these minority groups were particularly likely to be smokers and to have poorly controlled blood sugar
iStock
Health news in pictures
Breakfast cereals targeted at children contain ‘steadily high’ sugar levels since 1992 despite producer claims
A major pressure group has issued a fresh warning about perilously high amounts of sugar in breakfast cereals, specifically those designed for children, and has said that levels have barely been cut at all in the last two and a half decades
Getty
Health news in pictures
Potholes are making us fat, NHS watchdog warns
New guidance by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the body which determines what treatment the NHS should fund, said lax road repairs and car-dominated streets were contributing to the obesity epidemic by preventing members of the public from keeping active
PA
Health news in pictures
New menopause drugs offer women relief from ‘debilitating’ hot flushes
A new class of treatments for women going through the menopause is able to reduce numbers of debilitating hot flushes by as much as three quarters in a matter of days, a trial has found. The drug used in the trial belongs to a group known as NKB antagonists (blockers), which were developed as a treatment for schizophrenia but have been “sitting on a shelf unused”, according to Professor Waljit Dhillo, a professor of endocrinology and metabolism
REX
Health news in pictures
Doctors should prescribe more antidepressants for people with mental health problems, study finds
Research from Oxford University found that more than one million extra people suffering from mental health problems would benefit from being prescribed drugs and criticised “ideological” reasons doctors use to avoid doing so.
Getty
Health news in pictures
Student dies of flu after NHS advice to stay at home and avoid A&E
The family of a teenager who died from flu has urged people not to delay going to A&E if they are worried about their symptoms. Melissa Whiteley, an 18-year-old engineering student from Hanford in Stoke-on-Trent, fell ill at Christmas and died in hospital a month later.
Just Giving
Health news in pictures
Government to review thousands of harmful vaginal mesh implants
The Government has pledged to review tens of thousands of cases where women have been given harmful vaginal mesh implants.
Getty
Health news in pictures
Jeremy Hunt announces ‘zero suicides ambition’ for the NHS
The NHS will be asked to go further to prevent the deaths of patients in its care as part of a “zero suicide ambition” being launched today
Getty
Health news in pictures
Human trials start with cancer treatment that primes immune system to kill off tumours
Human trials have begun with a new cancer therapy that can prime the immune system to eradicate tumours. The treatment, that works similarly to a vaccine, is a combination of two existing drugs, of which tiny amounts are injected into the solid bulk of a tumour.
Nephron
Health news in pictures
Babies’ health suffers from being born near fracking sites, finds major study
Mothers living within a kilometre of a fracking site were 25 per cent more likely to have a child born at low birth weight, which increase their chances of asthma, ADHD and other issues
Getty
Health news in pictures
NHS reviewing thousands of cervical cancer smear tests after women wrongly given all-clear
Thousands of cervical cancer screening results are under review after failings at a laboratory meant some women were incorrectly given the all-clear. A number of women have already been told to contact their doctors following the identification of “procedural issues” in the service provided by Pathology First Laboratory.
Rex
Health news in pictures
Potential key to halting breast cancer’s spread discovered by scientists
Most breast cancer patients do not die from their initial tumour, but from secondary malignant growths (metastases), where cancer cells are able to enter the blood and survive to invade new sites. Asparagine, a molecule named after asparagus where it was first identified in high quantities, has now been shown to be an essential ingredient for tumour cells to gain these migratory properties.
Getty
Health news in pictures
NHS nursing vacancies at record high with more than 34,000 roles advertised
A record number of nursing and midwifery positions are currently being advertised by the NHS, with more than 34,000 positions currently vacant, according to the latest data. Demand for nurses was 19 per cent higher between July and September 2017 than the same period two years ago.
REX
Health news in pictures
Cannabis extract could provide ‘new class of treatment’ for psychosis
CBD has a broadly opposite effect to delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main active component in cannabis and the substance that causes paranoia and anxiety.
Getty
Health news in pictures
Over 75,000 sign petition calling for Richard Branson’s Virgin Care to hand settlement money back to NHS
Mr Branson’s company sued the NHS last year after it lost out on an £82m contract to provide children’s health services across Surrey, citing concerns over “serious flaws” in the way the contract was awarded
PA
Health news in pictures
More than 700 fewer nurses training in England in first year after NHS bursary scrapped
The numbers of people accepted to study nursing in England fell 3 per cent in 2017, while the numbers accepted in Wales and Scotland, where the bursaries were kept, increased 8.4 per cent and 8 per cent respectively
Getty
Health news in pictures
Landmark study links Tory austerity to 120,000 deaths
The paper found that there were 45,000 more deaths in the first four years of Tory-led efficiencies than would have been expected if funding had stayed at pre-election levels. On this trajectory that could rise to nearly 200,000 excess deaths by the end of 2020, even with the extra funding that has been earmarked for public sector services this year.
Reuters
Health news in pictures
Long commutes carry health risks
Hours of commuting may be mind-numbingly dull, but new research shows that it might also be having an adverse effect on both your health and performance at work. Longer commutes also appear to have a significant impact on mental wellbeing, with those commuting longer 33 per cent more likely to suffer from depression
Shutterstock
Health news in pictures
You cannot be fit and fat
It is not possible to be overweight and healthy, a major new study has concluded. The study of 3.5 million Britons found that even “metabolically healthy” obese people are still at a higher risk of heart disease or a stroke than those with a normal weight range
Getty
Health news in pictures
Sleep deprivation
When you feel particularly exhausted, it can definitely feel like you are also lacking in brain capacity. Now, a new study has suggested this could be because chronic sleep deprivation can actually cause the brain to eat itself
Shutterstock
Health news in pictures
Exercise classes offering 45 minute naps launch
David Lloyd Gyms have launched a new health and fitness class which is essentially a bunch of people taking a nap for 45 minutes. The fitness group was spurred to launch the ‘napercise’ class after research revealed 86 per cent of parents said they were fatigued. The class is therefore predominantly aimed at parents but you actually do not have to have children to take part
Getty
Health news in pictures
‘Fundamental right to health’ to be axed after Brexit, lawyers warn
Tobacco and alcohol companies could win more easily in court cases such as the recent battle over plain cigarette packaging if the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights is abandoned, a barrister and public health professor have said
Getty
Health news in pictures
‘Thousands dying’ due to fear over non-existent statin side-effects
A major new study into the side effects of the cholesterol-lowering medicine suggests common symptoms such as muscle pain and weakness are not caused by the drugs themselves
Getty
Health news in pictures
Babies born to fathers aged under 25 have higher risk of autism
New research has found that babies born to fathers under the age of 25 or over 51 are at higher risk of developing autism and other social disorders. The study, conducted by the Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment at Mount Sinai, found that these children are actually more advanced than their peers as infants, but then fall behind by the time they hit their teenage years
Getty
Health news in pictures
Cycling to work ‘could halve risk of cancer and heart disease’
Commuters who swap their car or bus pass for a bike could cut their risk of developing heart disease and cancer by almost half, new research suggests – but campaigners have warned there is still an “urgent need” to improve road conditions for cyclists. Cycling to work is linked to a lower risk of developing cancer by 45 per cent and cardiovascular disease by 46 per cent, according to a study of a quarter of a million people. Walking to work also brought health benefits, the University of Glasgow researchers found, but not to the same degree as cycling.
Getty
In the worst-performing CCG, Eastern Cheshire, patients waited more than 15 weeks on average for a follow-up appointment, compared to less than four weeks for their first.
“It appears patients are rushed into the system to meet targets only to leave them on hidden waiting lists without mental health support,” said Barbara Keeley, Labour’s shadow cabinet minister for mental health and social care.
“Early intervention is crucial in mental health, which is why targets are so important to ensure that people get the support they need as quickly as possible.
“No one should be left waiting weeks and even months to receive the support they need. The government is failing to invest adequately in mental health services and address this current crisis.”
Recommended
Sarah Hughes, who used to run an IAPT service and is now chief executive of the charity Centre for Mental Health, said the scheme is “an extraordinary development” in mental health treatment, but said it works best for those with mild or moderate symptoms and “doesn’t suit everyone”.
“We need to invest in a variety of talking therapies, community resources, well-being interventions and self-care education.
“For some people it is the context of their lives that is driving their distress, such as housing, money worries, problems in relationships or at work, addiction, discrimination.”
But most of the services that deal with these issues are funded by local authorities, which have seen their funding decimated during a decade of austerity.
✕
‘Boris Johnson is trying to hoodwink the British people on the NHS’ says Chuka Umunna
“We cannot expect IAPT to deal with profound and complex societal inequality that contributes to so much of the distress we see in mental health services,” Ms Hughes said.
She explained the potential harm of such disjointed treatment: “It takes a lot for people to take that first step in seeking help, any delays in it happening can make people feel worse or they can disengage and lose faith that the help is there.”
Recommended
“However, in this instance you would anticipate people who are in crisis or who are feeling suicidal are identified at the earliest opportunity and offered alternative support.”
But this is not always the case. Sarah B, 36, waited nearly two years for her first therapy appointment to be told she would have to wait three months to be seen again. She described the long delays as “playing games with people’s lives”.
“By then I’d already attempted suicide twice, and found my way to private help. So, too little too late,” she said. “Had I not been able to find the money privately, I don’t think I’d still be here.
“If I had no resources and that was my only hope, I know I would have spiralled back into suicidal territory. It’s what triggered me before – just going through this ordeal, reaching out for help then going through hurdle after hurdle and never getting anywhere.
“There are too many people who sadly probably aren’t here because they couldn’t find the funds for private help. It’s worse having help dangled in front of you then snatched away just as you get close to getting support.
“It’s a cruel roller-coaster some may never get off. It just makes you feel you’re not worth helping.”
Dr Dominique Thompson has seen delays have this effect upon her patients.
✕
Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events
“I have seen my young adult patients feel so let down and dispirited when they have reached the end of the first appointment only to find out the next one is months away, as if they don’t matter and are not valued,” said Dr Thompson, a former GP and director at Buzz Consulting, which advises on student mental health.
“Poor service funding and politics mean nothing to the young person sitting in front of you, for whom it is personal.
“Not only is it a hidden sucker punch for all those who finally reach their first appointment to then be told that they will have to wait even longer to be able to continue their therapy, but it is particularly risky for young people under the age of about 25.”
She explained that our prefrontal cortex, which controls impulsive behaviours, is not fully developed until this age, meaning “a young person is the least likely to be able to control self-harmful impulses”, which are “more likely to occur” after being told of a long wait for a follow-up appointment.
“The younger generation has been raised in a society that we older generations have created for them, where all sorts of relatively unimportant things are instantly available; taxis, pizza, online shoe shopping or banking.
“Yet when it really matters, they have to wait weeks for their mental health support.”
✕
Boris Johnson claims violent crime is associated with mental health problems
IAPT broke ground when it was introduced by allowing people to self-refer themselves for treatment, and has been widely praised for giving more people access to help in a shorter time. More than two-thirds of the 1.6 million people referred via the system received treatment in 2019, 90 per cent of them within six weeks.
Dr Thompson argues that waiting time targets, which only apply to first appointments, are not an appropriate measure of success.
“Having waiting time targets at all is a complete red herring when the services are so underfunded and starved of a reasonable-size workforce,” she said. “It just ends up being a game of ‘deckchairs on the Titanic’ – pointless sadly.”
She said it would be better to properly fund mental health services and offer staff proper remuneration and support to attract new workers, but said it would take “a real change in policy for that to happen”.
But Geoff Heyes, head of health policy and influencing at the mental health charity Mind, said the government had “rightly set out ambitious targets” for first appointments, which the IAPT programme had exceeded.
Mr Heyes urged the government to build on this success, calling the waiting times for a follow up “really worrying”.
“We need to see people not only getting first appointments but having consistent therapy that meets their needs, regardless of who they are or where they live,” he said. “With local areas now planning beyond 2021, improving this situation must be a priority.”
In the meantime, services have to come up with ideas about how to keep people on their waiting lists safe and engaged, Ms Hughes said.
“We want to ensure patients have access to high-quality care in a timely manner, and we introduced one of the world’s first waiting time standards for mental health,” a Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said.
“We are transforming mental health services with a planned record spend of £12.1bn in 2018-19 and, as part of our long-term plan for the NHS, announced a further expansion of mental health services, with an additional £2.3bn every year in real terms by 2023-24.”
On 3 August, the prime minister Boris Johnson announced a spending boost of £1.8m for the NHS, but Labour said this fell “significantly short” of the amount needed to reverse years of government cuts.
“Years of underinvestment in the NHS’s infrastructure means this extra money risks being little more than a drop in the ocean,” one expert said.
