Therapy across the four nations
England's self-referral route is not the UK-wide arrangement. How access to NHS talking therapies differs in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and which national services exist in each.
Health is devolved. The English self-referral route described on the NHS talking therapies page is an English arrangement, and assuming it applies everywhere is one of the commonest sources of wasted time.
The registers are UK-wide — BACP, UKCP, HCPC and the rest cover all four nations, so checking a practitioner works the same way everywhere. Access to NHS treatment does not.
England
Self-referral direct to the local NHS Talking Therapies service, or referral by your GP. Search by postcode on the NHS website.
Scotland
The GP is the usual door. Self-referral to psychological therapies is not the standard route; your GP refers you to the local psychological therapies service, and arrangements vary by health board.
Two national services are worth knowing about independently:
- Breathing Space — a free, confidential phone service for people in Scotland experiencing low mood, anxiety or depression. It has a telephone line, a web presence and a British Sign Language interface, staffed by trained advisers who give guidance and refer on.
- NHS 24 mental health services, which include telephone and online support using CBT-based techniques.
Wales
Referral is normally through the GP, but there is a national self-referral route for guided online therapy. SilverCloud is available free through NHS Wales without a GP referral for people aged 16 and over with mild to moderate anxiety, depression, stress or sleep difficulty; it provides guided self-help programmes over a course of several weeks. It is offered through the health boards, and each publishes its own sign-up page.
For anything beyond that, the route is the GP, and the Welsh Government publishes guidance on choosing the right NHS service.
Northern Ireland
There is no NHS self-referral route for talking therapies. Referrals go through your GP, who can refer on to the appropriate service. nidirect, the official government information service, publishes what services exist, which professionals do what, and what to do in an emergency.
A note on private practice
Private therapy is available in all four nations and is not affected by these differences — but neither is the fact that the titles are unprotected everywhere in the UK. Wherever you are, the check is the same one. See paying for therapy for the routes and who pays for them.