The answer

The term "talking therapies" covers a range of interventions. Counselling is probably the best known and involves talking to a specially trained counsellor. It is particularly useful for people who are generally healthy but are experiencing a crisis, such as a bereavement, serious illness, relationship breakdown or infertility. Other talking therapies include:

• Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), which aims to move people away from unhelpful behaviour patterns and into a more positive way of thinking
• Family therapy – where therapists work with households to understand problems such as substance abuse, separation or behavioural issues so they can communicate and work through them
• Interpersonal therapy is generally used for people with depression to help them identify and address problems in close relationships
• Group therapy involves several people with a problem such as alcoholism working with a therapist to support and advise each other
• Behavioural activation encourages people to adopt a more positive attitude so they can approach activities they have been avoiding
• Mindfulness helps people focus on their thoughts and feelings without becoming overwhelmed. It is helpful for a range of problems, from stress and depression to anxiety and addiction.

In some areas, it is possible to self-refer for talking therapies on the NHS, with a referral needed otherwise. Waiting lists can be lengthy, but there is usually an option to speed up the process by paying privately.