Understanding mental health

A consistently psychological model of mental ill health for UK clinical psychology

The Power Threat Meaning Framework (PTMF) was published by the British Psychological Society’s Division of Clinical Psychology (DCP) in 2018 and is now extensively applied in mental health services. As a coherent alternative to functional psychiatric diagnosis, the PTMF is changing professional training and therapeutic work amongst clinical, counselling and forensic psychologists, social workers, psychotherapists and mental health nurses. Simultaneously, for mental health peer workers and service users who find diagnosis unhelpful, PTMF is increasing choice. PTMF is also invigorating debate about the causes and nature of mental ill health. These impacts are occurring across the UK and internationally in countries including Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Spain and Denmark.