Help for Psychosis in the UK: Where to Start

The NHS describes psychosis as when people lose some contact with reality. It can include hallucinations, such as hearing voices, and delusions, which are strong beliefs that others don’t share. It can be linked to many things, including stress, trauma, lack of sleep, drugs or another health condition. Only a doctor or specialist team can assess and diagnose, so this page is about finding support, not about working out what is going on.

Speak to a GP, or use NHS 111 if things feel urgent. In England, people having a first episode of psychosis are often referred to an Early Intervention in Psychosis (EIP) team, which can offer assessment, medication review, talking therapy, family support and help with work or study. Other UK nations have similar community mental health teams. NICE guidance recommends that people with psychosis are offered CBT for psychosis (CBTp) and that families are offered family intervention, and says arts therapies can be considered. Waiting times vary by area.

Charities such as Rethink Mental Illness and Mind have free information for people affected and their families.

Many people use private therapy alongside NHS care, not instead of it. It helps if your practitioner can talk with your NHS team, with your consent.

• Practitioner psychologists, such as clinical and counselling psychologists, some of whom offer CBT for psychosis. They are on the HCPC register.
• Psychotherapists on UKCP, BPC or similar registers, some with experience of psychosis and family work. Family and systemic psychotherapists can work with the whole family.
• Arts therapists (art, music or drama), HCPC registered, who offer a way to work with experiences that are hard to put into words.
• Psychiatrists, doctors who assess, diagnose and review medication.

Before you book, look the practitioner up yourself on the official register. Psychologists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech and language therapists, dietitians and arts therapists must be on the HCPC register to use those titles. Counsellors and psychotherapists are usually on a register accredited by the Professional Standards Authority, such as BACP, UKCP, BPC or NCPS. Psychiatrists are doctors on the GMC register. Our guide to checking a register shows how. On Therapist Circle, each practitioner’s register and number is shown on their profile so you can check it too.

Private sessions are usually paid per session, and fees vary by profession and area; ask before you book. Some health insurance policies cover therapy; see health insurance and therapy. When choosing, ask about the practitioner’s training and experience with psychosis, how they would work alongside your GP or NHS team, what happens if you become unwell, and how you will review progress together. See questions to ask before you book.

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