The Industrialisation of Care: Counselling, psychotherapy and the impact of IAPT

The UK government s Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme has transformed the landscape of counselling and psychotherapy across England. Local IAPT services provide therapy to thousands of people experiencing depression and anxiety. But they also absorb millions of pounds in government funding and stand accused of relying on an economic model of treatment that has more in common with the principles of Henry Ford than of either Rogers or Freud. This book, with chapters written by experienced therapists, psychiatrists and academics, reveals the neoliberal roots from which the IAPT programme sprang. It critiques the tightly regulated, highly manualised and medicalised therapies IAPT offers, the constant surveillance under which its practitioners work and the dehumanising effects of this on clients and therapists alike. Together, contributors question whether and to what extent the IAPT factory system of care, driven by psychiatric diagnosis, fast through-put and quick-win outcomes, can really provide a solution to our growing mental health crisis.