Mental health support for young people aged 16 to 17 across West London has just become more accessible thanks to a newly launched initiative which will link Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) with NHS Talking Therapies (TT), a service that was initially only exclusive to adults.
GPs and CAMHS practitioners across three West London boroughs can now directly refer young people to Talking Therapies services, a resource which will help connect teens to the right support.
Initially set up in 2008 and formally known as Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT), Talking Therapies aims to help patients to better manage their mental health through a range of evidence-based therapies.
The expansion of Talking Therapies is significant to West London. Before the recent expansion, the initiative was only open to people over the age of 18, meaning many young people, specifically 16 – 17-year-olds, had to rely on CAMHS a multidisciplinary service to get support for more common mental health difficulties.
By lowering the minimum age for Talking Therapies, GPs across Hounslow can now refer 16 and 17-year-olds to local Talking Therapy centres.
Figures from the first half of 2025 found that over half a million (511,321) young people across England were engaged with children and young people’s mental health services, highlighting the significant demand for psychological support among the sub 18 population.
Keyur Joshi, Associate Director for CAMHS at West London NHS Trust, added: “This change has been possible as a result of the strong collaboration between CAMHS and Talking Therapies and a shared commitment to improving access to support for young people. It’s great to see adult services continuing to build their confidence and capacity to work with this age group, and we hope that this will help prevent young people from falling through the gaps between services.”