The British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP) is the lead organisation for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) in the UK and Ireland with over 26,000 members.
CBT is one of the most effective and evidence-based types of talking therapies. It is recommended as an intervention in The Matrix for addressing various conditions, including anxiety disorders, depression, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), trauma and associated symptoms, eating disorders, personality disorders amongst others as well as to help people cope with symptoms of many other conditions such as chronic pain.
Investing in evidence-based talking therapies, such as CBT not only work to improve mental health and alleviate suffering of those struggling with a range of conditions but they also contribute to saving public money in the long term as mental health problems are the most important cause of disability in the working age population.
Manifesto for Mental Health
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What are we calling for?
1. BABCP accreditation of CBT psychotherapists in Scotland
Why?
To protect the public. Ensuring that CBT therapists are properly accredited means more protection for the public. The CBT Register UK and Ireland is a Professional Standards Authority accredited register, jointly held by BABCP and the Association for Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (AREBT). All registrants commit to our Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics, and have met our standards for training. They maintain their practice, clinical supervision and professional development.
We need:
The Government to work with NES and NHS Scotland to mandate BABCP accreditation for CBT therapists working in the NHS, to create a UK-wide standard to provide the best and most-cost effective care and to protect the public. This should be the single country-wide standard to ensure consistency and enhance public protection.
2. Equal access to psychological therapies
Why?
In Scotland there are several Government initiatives – including the Mental health and wellbeing strategy, the Service Renewal Framework, the Population Health Framework and the NHS Scotland Operational Improvement Plan which aim to help everyone achieve the best mental health possible reducing inequalities and the ambitions set in the Matrix – a guide to delivering evidence-based psychological therapies and intervention in Scotland. However, despite the many strategies, the pathways to accessing mental health support in Scotland remain inconsistent. Currently, depending on the citizen’s postcode the route to accessing treatment varies, with many citizens relying on referrals by their GP. We believe that Scottish people deserve consistent, timely access to evidenced-based psychological treatments such as CBT, as recommended in the Matrix. This is also in line with the Health Improvement, Efficiency, Access and Treatment targets, the Scottish Government Local Delivery Plan Standards and the Psychological therapies and interventions specification.
Mental health problems cost Scottish economy at least £8.8 billion a year, according to a study by LSE and the Mental Health Foundation, so investing in mental health could significantly reduce the economic costs to the Scottish Government boosting the Scottish economy in the long term.
We need:
The Government should consider widening access to psychological therapies through investment in the Scottish workforce and the creation of posts for accredited Cognitive Behavioural Therapists delivering the recommended treatment in line with the Matrix which allows the Government to achieve the HEAT targets and enables everyone in Scotland to achieve the best mental health possible, an ambition set by the Scottish Government in the Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy: Delivery Plan 2023-2025.
3. Uniform and standardised training and supervision pathways
Why?
Adopting uniform training and supervision requirements across all Boards in Scotland will safeguard quality, reduce variation, enhancing workforce retention as psychotherapists will see a clear career progression pathway.
Currently, not all practitioners have access to an accredited CBT training programme. Standards of training and supervision vary from one Health Board to another. In addition, those who have completed their training to become an accredited CBT therapist are sometimes expected to return to a previous or more generic role, which does not make full use of their additional skills in CBT, as posts are not available to them.
We need:
A unified Scottish-wide approach to training, supervision, and competency assurance to ensure equitable access to gold-standard, evidence-based CBT interventions across all Boards. Such an approach should include ensuring that posts in CBT are available so that qualified and accredited practitioners can deliver the therapies needed.
