Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT)

IAPT is a service for people presenting with mild to moderate depression and anxiety; delivering evidence based psychological therapies by trained accredited practitioners. The main treatment offered is CBT (Cognitive Behaviour Therapy). These services also offer counselling for depression and EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) for PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). They may also offer some more specialised services dependent in different areas. Below is the stepped care model which is offered:

What is Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)

This is a treatment approach that helps people to understand and recognise patterns relating to their thoughts, feelings, behaviours and symptoms, and how these elements affect each other and maintain mental health problems. The treatment aims to teach people techniques and coping skills to improve their symptoms, change their behaviour in a way which is helpful and to identify negative thinking errors and learn to reframe their thoughts; all of which can help people to improve their mental wellbeing.