Austerity is damaging mental health

Hundreds of counsellors and psychotherapists have signed a letter underlining the profoundly disturbing psychological and quality-of-life implications of the coalition governments cuts.

In a letter to the Guardian today, counsellors and psychotherapists in the public and private sectors said the past 5 years have seen a radical shift in the kinds of issues generating distress in their clients. They say they have seen "increasing inequality and outright poverty, families forced to move against their wishes, and, perhaps most important, benefits claimants (including disabled and ill people) and those seeking work being subjected to a quite new, intimidatory kind of disciplinary regime".

The experts also highlighted the fact that the "profoundly disturbing psychological and quality-of-life implications of the coalition government’s cuts and policies" have yet to be mentioned in the election campaign.

The letter went on to label 'get to work therapy' as "manifestly not therapy at all" and described the news that Maximus (the US company replacing Atos to do work capability assessments) will also be managing the new national Fit for Work programme, as time for the field’s key professional organisations to wake up to "these malign developments, and unequivocally denounce such so-called 'therapy' as damaging and professionally unethical".

In conclusion, the experts describe the fact that society has been thrown "completely off balance by the emotional toxicity of neoliberal thinking". 

Signatories include Dr Richard House of the Alliance for Counselling and Psychotherapy, Nick Totton of Psychotherapists and Counsellors for Social Responsibility and Linda Burnip of Disabled People Against Cuts.

As part of our general election campaigning we are asking for well-funded public services, delivered by valued public sector staff and for privatisation and offshoring to be opposed. We also support a well-resourced publicly-delivered social security service that provides a decent standard of living, and support the removal of the sanctions regime.

The government claims that the cuts are not affecting public services. But a major survey of PCS workplace representatives and members in departments, agencies and non-departmental public bodies show that the cuts are adversely affecting our members and the important services they provide. 

Find out more about our campaigning in the run-up to the general election on 7 May.

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