This book will be an invaluable resource for GPs, counsellors, managers and other primary care who seek to understand the debates about counselling and play a part in its future as part of health care. Its authors discuss the nature of counselling in this setting and the contribution it canmake in improving the care of patients with a variety of health problems. The authors include practitioners and academics, service providers and counselling clients, supporters and skeptics. Overall they offer a comprehensive and thought provoking guide to those responsible for commissioning, working with providing counslling services in a health service that seeks to be increasingly primary care led and evidence based. This book discusses the establishment and evaluation of counselling services in primary care and the need to consider the most appropriate forms of service for differentgroups. It describes the specialist counselling services that are available to back up what can be provided as part of primary care and the variety of organizations that can be approached for information and advice, and assesses the research evidence on the efficacy and cost effectiveness ofcounselling.

Preface