Pioneering mental health centre at Uni

Adam Hewitt • Published 24 Jan 2008 16:10 0 Comments

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A NEW mental health centre at Reading University is a national first.

The Charlie Waller Institute of Evidence-Based Psychological Treatment launched on Monday.

International experts train clinicians in the latest will therapies at the centre.

Kevin Lewis, Strategic Planning Director at Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, said: "This is a very exciting development. Training more clinicians to deliver psychological therapies that are shown to work should lead to more people getting the best possible treatment."

Around a quarter of the adult population is thought to have mental health problems, but most remain untreated and often undiagnosed. Only two-thirds of people get treatment considered 'minimally adequate', and most suffer for up to 10 years before seeking help.

The Institute, which will receive more than £400,000 funding over five years, is named after Charlie Waller, a 28-year-old advertising executive from Berkshire who committed suicide in 1997.

His parents, Rt. Hon Sir Mark Waller and Lady Rachel Waller, set up a trust to raise awareness about depression, reduce stigma and teach effective psychological therapies.

The centre was opened by economist and 'happiness' theorist Lord Richard Layard and Prof David Clark, Professor of Psychology at King's College London.

Professor Roz Shafran, who is the Institute's co-director, said: "The aim of the Charlie Waller Institute is to provide training in proven psychological treatments for the full range of mental health problems."

This article appeared in Reading Chronicle 24 Jan 08

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