There is certainly a high degree of compulsion associated with attending IAPT services, with people being told that if they do not attend IAPT interventions then their benefits may be stopped. This seems counter to the idea of patients’ voluntary engagement, with the notion of ‘opt in’ being the sole indicator of patient willingness for participation. My personal opinion is that there is no real choice and no other type of treatment offered if they refuse. IAPT is a service where clear up target rates appear to be more important than the quality of the treatment and ‘one size’ most certainly does not fit all.
I am of the opinion that my colleagues who are Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners would benefit greatly from having knowledge and experience of mental health since my experience was that most of the higher level CBT Practitioners were and are mental health nurses by discipline. Whilst I am critical of IAPT, I am also critical of mental health services and for this reason I am currently aiming to change direction and to re-train in the area of Psychology.
Anonymity protected Dr Mike Scott