As you like it: adopting a patient-led approach to psychological treatments

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to look at the design and delivery of psychological treatments offered by the UK National Health Service (NHS) and in particular, ask how much treatment is enough, or who should decide when the patient has had enough treatment. Design/methodology/approach – The data reported in this section were collected during routine clinical practice in the NHS in Scotland. Findings – It was found that treatments could be redesigned so that important therapeutic information is provided in time frames that match patient preferences, leading to more efficient and effective services. Originality/value – Clinicians, predominantly, determine the design and delivery of treatment programmes, whereas the paper suggests that programmes should be focused on the patient and their needs.