Psychotherapy at a Time of Diminishing Resources

Extract

Estimating demand for psychotherapy is like trying to evaluate the size of a mountain range from the foothills—the higher one climbs, the more potential needs become apparent. The unspoken dream that at some point all these needs will be met by trained psychotherapists seems firmly destined to stay in the realms of fantasy. In reality, specialist psychotherapists will always be thin on the ground. In Surrey, where my own practice is based, I am, and am likely to remain, the only medically trained psychotherapist with four sessions allocated to a population of 200,000. The psychotherapy department at St. George's Hospital, Tooting, to which I am also attached, has a catchment which extends to the whole South-West Thames Region, encompassing places as far afield as Chichester and Haywards Heath.