Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.YVONNE RIDLEY's article on counselling and therapy is inevitably simplistic ("Stressed-out Britons create boom time for therapists", 25 July). A few column inches cannot do justice to the full picture. But my own research indicates that there are, in addition to 1,700 registered counsellors, at least 5,600 therapists registered with either of the two main psychotherapy bodies, apart from many chartered clinical and counselling psychologists. Even if her estimate of 25,000 unregistered counsellors is correct, by no means all are either ineffective or charlatans - I was myself unregistered for 21 years, and I believe my clients would tell you that I did as creditable a job for them then as I do now.
Nor are therapy and counselling just for those who can afford them. Apart from counselling services in some schools through to many colleges and most universities, there are employee advisory programmes where firms pay for staff to receive short-term counselling; increasing numbers of counsellors working, sometimes for a pittance, in GP surgeries; and therapists of one kind or another in other parts of the NHS - all providing therapy and counselling free.
MICHAEL JACOBS
Leicester
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments