This announcement is graet news in deed. However, the big question that remains unanswered is where the 3600 therapist are going to come from?
Considering the fact that it currently takes up to six years to train a psychotherapist, I wonder if we have the required numbers in the country at the moment to take on this roles.

Also, I believe the time has come for the government to bring the funding of Psychotherapy training courses in line with the kind of funding awarded social work and nursing training courses. This should entice more people into the area and also bring the profession into the mainstream of health care proffessions.

Francis Amekor, Cardiff, UK

Unfortunately, many people will describe their condition as 'anxious' or 'depressed' when presenting to a GP, because these words are often the only ones that people know in describing their suffering. They will then be offered CBT as a first line treatment, because official publications show it to be very successful at treating these conditions. (Much like behavioural interventions - assertiveness training and relaxation techniques - were offered to seemingly everybody with sometimes severe mental disorders in the 80's and early 90's, because it had a high success rate. Officially, that is - until the 'new, improved' cognitive behavioural therapy came along.)

It's just another one-size-fits-all approach to mental health. Cheaper than analysis-based therapies, and one where the government can be seen to be doing something. It doesn't always work. Probably less than perhaps practitioners themselves would care to admit if cases were followed up.

It had no long-term effect on me!

Graeme Morrison, Brockley, London

At last! How can pills alone alleviate distress and trauma. Depression can be caused by internalised anger or 'inrage': anger denied expression or ignored that implodes under stress.

Processing this anger by bringing it to the surface through conselling is by far the most effective long term key to a fulfilled life.

Medical training is not always very sound when it comes to the psyche, although more GP's are at last becoming less dismissive of 'talking' therapies.

Annabel Yates, Crackington Haven, Bude, Cornwall