I take as my starting-point the themes of the recently published NHS Framework for Mental Health, which could boost the psychological therapies in a number of ways, particularly by its acknowledgement of the effectiveness of psychotherapy. I go on to draw comparisons between the role of the psychotherapist and that of the GP, showing how, although primary-care practitioners should not seek to turn into psychotherapists, they could usefully rely more on language, narrative and metaphor in their everyday work.