Our latest Public Perceptions Survey1 shows more people are accessing therapy, finding it helpful and would recommend it.

More people are turning to therapy to support their mental health and wellbeing, with our latest Public Perceptions Survey showing that 37% of people have seen a therapist at some point in their lives, up from 33% in 2019.

Our survey of 5,000 UK adults highlighted strong levels of satisfaction among those who have had therapy. Nearly three quarters (72%) said it was helpful, while 76% would recommend it to others. 

Attitudes towards therapy are also changing. More than half (53%) of people disagree that it is self-indulgent to seek counselling or psychotherapy if you don’t have a serious problem, compared with just a quarter (26%) who agree. And nearly nine in 10 (85%) say it’s better to talk to a therapist before things get out of hand.

To explore what’s behind this shift, we asked our members why therapy is resonating with more people than ever and what makes it such a powerful tool for personal growth and emotional wellbeing.

Therapy is becoming part of everyday wellbeing

Therapist Dee Johnson believes this reflects a growing understanding of the importance of mental health.

"The change towards recognising looking after our mental health is equal to caring for our physical wellbeing is long overdue and hopeful as both interact and affect each other.

"There's more of an openness about people talking about seeking therapy which sees a shift in more positive and supportive societal attitudes to getting help for mental health and emotional wellbeing."

Why more people are turning to counselling

Dee believes people are increasingly recognising that therapy can support personal growth as well as helping navigate difficult experiences.

"I think more people are recognising that therapy isn't just about dealing with specific upsetting life events, past traumas or maladaptive and self-harm behaviours, it can also be for self-improvement and for your mental health wellbeing maintenance."

"Recognising self-care is about learning to manage adaptively and understand our thoughts, feelings and behaviours and finding strategies for a personal beneficial change – the old idea that therapy is mainly about the past and talking about your childhood is thankfully changing."

"People are more open and proud of sharing about how therapy has helped them, which in turn gives others confidence to reach out. Stigmas are breaking."

Counsellor Emma Cullinan agrees that therapy is increasingly viewed as a valuable tool for navigating life's challenges.

"People often come to therapy because their friends or family recommend it; having experienced the benefits. For many it is now seen as a necessary tool to negotiate life with."

Understanding yourself through therapy

Emma says many of the ways we think and behave as adults are shaped by our early experiences and relationships.

"The long-term goal of therapy is to work through all of this in a way that teaches us to learn to like ourselves."

She explains that therapy provides a space to explore difficult thoughts, feelings and experiences with support and understanding.

"A good relationship with a therapist involves having a space in which you will not be criticised but instead aided to explore why you think certain things, what happened to you and why you behave in certain ways."

"You learn to know yourself better and start living in a more self-compassionate, freer way."

Why the therapeutic relationship matters

While there are many different therapeutic approaches, therapists agree that the relationship between therapist and client is key.

Dee says:

"It doesn't matter how qualified or experienced your therapist is – there must be the key element of feeling connected, understood, comfortable, mutual respect, equality, safe and able to share anything you need to without negative judgment."

Psychodynamic psychotherapist Alison Gee also highlights the importance of trust and connection.

"Many people arrive carrying feelings, worries or experiences they have never fully shared with anyone."

"Therapy creates a space where those experiences can be spoken about openly and thought about together."

The benefits of therapy

According to Alison, trust develops over time and can enable people to explore parts of themselves they may never have previously expressed.

"As trust grows, people often find themselves able to talk about thoughts and feelings they have never previously put into words. This can be profoundly relieving."

"Feeling genuinely seen and understood by another person can be transformative."

She believes this unique relationship is one of the reasons so many people report positive experiences of therapy.

"We live in a world that often prioritises performance, productivity and quick solutions, yet emotional difficulties rarely respond to being rushed."

"Therapy offers something increasingly rare: time, attention and a trusted relationship in which people can make sense of their experiences."

"For many, that process leads not only to symptom relief but to a stronger sense of self, greater emotional resilience and more satisfying relationships with others."

References

1 About our Public Perceptions Survey

Since 2019, BACP has conducted an annual survey to measure the opinions and attitudes of the British public towards mental health.  

The survey data was collected using a self-complete, online methodology. A nationally representative sample of 5,058 adults (aged 16+) was taken from YouGov’s online research panel and results were weighted to provide a nationally representative dataset. Fieldwork for the 2026 survey was conducted between the 16th February and 6th March 2026 and is in line with fieldwork dates from previous years.