The UK Government has published a COVID-19 Mental Health and Wellbeing Recovery Action Plan to address the mental health impact of the pandemic over the next two years.
The plan is underpinned by £500 million investment identified in last year’s Spending Review.
We're pleased to see the plan provides important recognition of the key role that counselling and psychotherapy will need to play to support the nation’s recovery from COVID-19.
We welcome commitments to extend counselling support though through NHS IAPT provision and also through the Third Sector, particularly in supporting those people impacted by domestic abuse and sexual violence, bereavement and to support those on the front line of the pandemic with counselling support for NHS workers and school leaders.
Campaign
The plan closely mirrors the core ask of our COVID-19 campaign and we'd like to thank our campaign partners and the 10,000 supporters who signed our COVID-19 Campaign petition last year for helping to amplify our voice.
Steve Mulligan, who led our COVID-19 campaign, said: "We welcome this long called for Recovery Action Plan and we're pleased to see a commitment to cross-government action alongside financial backing for the voluntary sector to provide a range of much needed support, including counselling.
"This closely reflects the central call of our COVID-19 Campaign to address the mental health impact of the pandemic through a cross departmental action plan.
"The Government’s response clearly recognises the mental health impact that coronavirus has brought - including economic adversity, job loss, bereavement, domestic abuse, relationships and loneliness.
"It also recognises those key groups most impacted, including front line workers, people with pre-existing mental health conditions, those affected directly with the disease or those who have lost loved ones due to COVID-19.
“We'll be following developments on this closely, as more detail will invariably come to light through the implementation of the plan, including gaps in provision.
"In particular we'd have liked to have seen more resource earmarked for schools and colleges to help them urgently provide much needed counselling support. Please sign our petition to ask Government to urgently establish a COVID-19 Resilience Fund, so children and young people can get the support they need now."
We need your support
A significant gap in these plans is the lack of immediate funding to help schools pay for vital counselling provision for our children and young people now. We’re asking you to support our campaign for an emergency resilience fund that will help school pay for counselling.
Tackling the mental health consequences of coronavirus
Back our COVID-19 campaign to reaffirm the critical role that counselling and psychotherapy needs to play in supporting the nation through the coronavirus crisis and in helping to repair it afterwards.
School counselling in England campaign
We believe that a paid counsellor should be available in every secondary school, academy and FE college in England.
Back our call for emergency school counselling fund
Sign our petition calling for an emergency resilience fund to pay for vital counselling provision now