Increasing access to psychological therapies – looking beyond the workforce question

While improving access to psychological therapies requires a greater number of trained professionals able to provide evidence-based treatments, it also requires services to respond more flexibly to the needs of people likely to benefit from the treatments they offer. CBT workshops are an example of innovative, evidence-based treatments that – in addition to providing clinical benefits – provide easy access through self-referral and convenient weekend sessions, while reducing costs to the NHS.