They are sent (under the IAPT scheme) to group CBT for a duration of six sessions. There, people with myriad forms of mental health problem are basically told to think themselves happy and that all of their beliefs and thoughts are wrong and irrelevant to their current state.

Yes, people who have survived the most serious forms of childhood sexual abuse, neglect, workplace bullying, domestic violence and grinding, relentless poverty are being shoved into a group and told that everything in their head is wrong and it is their fault that they aren’t happy.

Very occasionally, individuals with more severe problems will be allocated six one to one sessions, but it will still be CBT and it usually won’t help the individual.

There are variants to the group model, including keeping journals to help rationalise negative thoughts, but generally the results are the same – crap.

When this cod therapy fails, when perhaps the person’s condition gets worse, they are told that they didn’t apply themselves to the therapy seriously and it’s their own fault that their condition has not improved or worsened.

The drop out rate for CBT under IAPT is 84% and its effectiveness is only assessed by comparison to the waiting list. (NICE)

Cheaply delivered, half arsed, group CBT is the only “talking therapy” that is approved by NICE. No other options are funded.

Individuals working for Positive Step (a provider of IAPT) which is an ATOS company only get 6 weeks training in delivering script based, group CBT. Often the sessions are based on power point presentations with leaflets handed out afterwards telling the hapless individual to go out and buy lots of pop psychology self help books.

The employer and #ATOS acting as their agent are banking on some one not putting a claim in , they can afford the insurance if someone does …also they’ll hope people will be too ground down to give them a problem again .

If they can get someone naive enough to believe that the condition / injury / illness is ” all their fault ” …they’re hardly likely to give them a Health and Safety at work problem .

Some unions do call the employers / #ATOS bluff …if being returned to work …arguably too early aggravates something it then becomes ” an accident at work ” …some unions don’t trust #ATOS at all and want their reps in to ride shotgun on these hokus pocus sham ” medicals ”

The only way that approach in the article can be possibly ! defended is if illnesses / conditions / injuries are self inflicted …say like someone with a serious drink / drug problem ………….however I know of one union that tolerates necessary evils rather than the holier than thou approach ….i.e. yes so and so might well have deserved the sack …but the employer has botched everything all the way through / failed to adhere to it’s own procedure and would lose an employment tribunal ….and there’s people that have been stitched up and / or sacked that didn’t necessarily deserved it .

ATOS do advertise ” downsizing solutions ” on their web site …..however the reduce the cost of early / medical retirements mantra is driven by UNUM pseudo science / rhetoric …however there’s always the cases of embarrassing managers getting early retirement as the employer’s worst nightmare is a bitter and twisted manager spilling the beans / blowing the whistle .

The Employer sent me on a Business Referral Form to see the by common consent , the much maligned ATOS Origin ” Doctor ” .

The report was atypically negative , riddled with errors , curious , vague , obscure , full of contradictions and begging more questions than answers .

However there was one particular bit falsely stating that I’d been been well advised by HCP’s as how to deal with my condition which I was suspicious of …I wondered if he was merely telling the employer what they wanted to hear ….IMO the cheap corporate whores that ATOS are ……or if there was a more sinnister agenda . The so called ” solution ” to ” remove the barriers ” suggested was equally laughable if it wasn’t so ridiculous too .

Also I’d been under the care of senior NHS consultants …they don’t send for you for nothing . At the ” medical ” the ” HCP ” was merely a doctor ….on the report he’d been ” suddenly ” promoted to Consultant . I wondered if this was a crass way of trying to pull rank over senior and better qualified key NHS staff …now I wonder if he’d been promoted for being on message and telling ATOS exactly what they wanted to hear .

My Union Branch Secretary was none too impressed , he hinted at reporting the ATOS ” hack ” as he described him to the GMC , and getting in touch with the Union’s legal department to arrange a panel of suitably qualified medical experts …not jobbing GP’s at best