On the 2nd of December the Alliance for Counselling and Psychotherapy will be holding a special conference and rallying call to discuss the threats to protecting and extending responsible mental health treatment and counselling in the UK and the response to government cuts that limit practitioners from providing an effective way of helping individuals. The day will start at 10am and Finish at 5pm - all are welcome.
If current trends continue, with relational therapies being widely cut or decommissioned in favour of a quick fix 'payment by results' culture, there could eventually be no psychotherapy or counselling provision in the public sector; the voluntary sector could soon face the same fate, and this will all inevitably spill over into private practice as well.
The Alliance led the battle against inappropriate state regulation by HPC and  instigated a petition on the vexed topic of the NICE guidelines, which has so far attracted over 6,000 signatures. The Alliance is taking a lead in tackling the current crisis, and we urge you to join us at the conference. Their approach is based on bringing together thoughtful and committed people from every conceivable tradition and background, and the conference programme reflects that commitment to diversity, cutting edge thinking and speaking truth to power.
ALCP will be asking questions such as:
- Do we need to radically rethink the provision of Psych therapies from regulated consulting space to community activities?
- How can we re-organise and finance therapies in response to NHS cuts and further appropriation by private companies?
- How can we make sure that patients continue to get personal treatment based on their needs, not on our budgets and limits?
We are also going to explore new thinking about how ‘therapy’ in the broadest sense can get to as many people who want it as possible. There are many innovative projects out there and we will hear about some of them. We want to take this chance to re-connect with supporters, and to ask you to come along.
If you aren’t coming, please do tell us why not! Also if you haven't already done so, please do pass details of the conference  to friends and colleagues. Anyone with an interest (not just therapists!) is welcome. Find out more about ALCP here or visit us on facebook for more events.
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