Exeter helps launch the UK’s first high street mental health hub

A new national mental health service which offers therapy with no waiting lists has opened its first high street therapy hub with support from the University of Exeter.

Towards opened the hub in Leeds this week and offers in-person and online therapy sessions with no waiting lists. The Leeds hub is the first of many planned locations across the UK throughout and is staffed by a team of fully qualified and qualifying therapists with experience across adult, child, and young people services.

The Cedar Create team at the University of Exeter has partnered with Towards to help train these therapists through the Towards Academy. The Academy aims to address the chronic shortage of therapists in the UK via a new therapy training programme developed and provided by Cedar.

The programme is designed to open up the profession to people with the right personal qualities, not just academic qualifications, and focuses on practical, in-person learning as well as offering financial support to trainees.

Professor Catherine Gallop, Director of Cedar, said: “There is a critical shortage of therapists here in the UK with the NHS estimating in 2022 a shortfall of 2,000. Which is why we want to help bridge that gap by supporting Towards in training brand new therapists and upskilling those already working in the industry. At Cedar Create we will also be assessing the efficiency and effectiveness of the hubs themselves and consulting on how practices can be improved.”

Cedar is an Applied Psychological Practice Centre of Excellence and is one of the UK’s largest providers of training in evidence-based psychological practice and therapies.

Dr Sarah Bateup, Towards Chief Clinical Officer, said: “Quite simply there are not enough therapists to meet the needs of people who have common mental health problems.  Additionally, we know that there is significant variance in the quality of therapy on offer.  We want to do something about that.  Our partnership with the University of Exeter gives the best chance of making a difference.”

Towards plan to open further high street hubs throughout 2025 and 2026, with therapists trained through the Academy staffing those hubs. Their aim is to make therapy feel as everyday as going to the optician.

Tim Rideout, Towards CEO, said: “A broken system has put therapy out of reach for too many people. We’ve been there ourselves. It’s not just an emotional challenge, it’s the long hours spent searching for the right therapist, only to find they aren’t available. It’s the worry about the cost. Then if you do access therapy, it’s too often inconvenient, one-size-fits-all, and ineffective. We’re here to change that.”