Building on the work of Alexis Brook: Further thoughts about brief psychotherapy in primary care

This paper describes the pioneering work of Alexis Brook in exploring the value of psychotherapists working alongside GPs in their practices. It starts by describing two seminal papers published by Brook in 1967 and by Brook and Temperley in 1976, which illustrate his emphasis on the importance of a collaborative approach between professionals, and on an understanding of the natural advantages of general practices for mental health work. The author then describes briefly some of the more recent developments in counselling and psychological therapies in primary care. This perspective allows the differences to be drawn between the current approach in which general practitioners are encouraged to relinquish their role in mental illness, and the approach adopted earlier by Alexis Brook and his co-workers where psychotherapeutic skills are used to help professionals in practices develop their own resources. The paper concludes by arguing for a much-needed re-appraisal of the theory and practice of brief psychotherapy in primary care, one which would take full account of the psychological characteristics of the setting and build on the earlier insights and approach of Alexis Brook and his colleagues.