Counselling the community: the contribution of counselling psychologists to the development of primary care

The primary care groups (PCGs) newly introduced to the National Health Service require general practitioners and primary care teams to improve the health of their communities by addressing the health needs of their population, promoting the health of that population and working with other organizations to deliver effective and appropriate care. Community-oriented primary care (COPC) is an internationally tested model for primary health care development which is now being employed within the UK. This paper outlines the COPC model, and demonstrates how the skills and knowledge base of counselling psychologists and primary care counselling can contribute to a community-oriented primary care approach.