Paul, 43, is a teacher and employed by the same secondary school in Sheffield that he went to as a child. He’s a devoted teacher and student mentor and unable to spend as much time with his family as he would like. His wife, Sandy, 37, looks after the couples’ two young sons.

During October 2013 Tavistock Relationships submitted a Freedom of Information request to all clinical commissioning groups and mental health trusts, and carried out a ‘mystery shopping’ exercise with 20 IAPT services, in order to find out the availability of couple therapy for depression in IAPT services. The results of this investigation make for concerning reading.

Specifically for Relate, Tavistock Relationships have revised the CTfD competency adherence framework and assessment with more emphasis of an understanding of depression, its symptoms, risk and relapse prevention and increased self-reflection on learning and supervision.

Tavistock Relationships, was commissioned by NHS England to create and develop the training for Couple Therapy for Depression, as a modality additional to CBT, for delivery within IAPT services nationally. The model seeks to redress the precipitating and maintaining factors in dysfunctional interactions and cognitions between partners as a result of depression.

A recent in-house study conducted by Tavistock Relationships has made the significant finding that Couple Therapy for Depression has a significant positive effect on both anxiety and depression AS WELL AS improving couple relationship quality and, crucially, that improvements in relationship satisfaction are predictive of recovery from depression.

Figures released by NHS Digital show that people who are fortunate enough to gain access to mental health services that offer the Couple Therapy for Depression treatment, when needing help with their anxiety or depression, are more likely to recover from symptoms of depression and anxiety. This type of couple therapy is delivered via the NHS by therapists trained at Tavistock Relationships.