The impact of primary care counselling on psychiatric symptoms

Abstract

The work of three primary care counsellors was assessed over a one year period, in which 95 clients were offered a brief 6-session intervention, under supervision of a clinical psychologist. Measures used before, after, and at 4-month follow-up, included the SCL-90-R and HADS. Results suggested that clients were referred with significant mental health problems, and that counselling was effective in reducing psychiatric symptomatology. However, some of the more severely disturbed clients needed to be referred on to specialist teams, and while it can produce cost savings in some areas, counselling may therefore also create new demands on secondary care. It is concluded that general practice counselling is valuable, but should be seen as an expansion of the range of mental health care, rather than an alternative to existing specialist services.