Idiotic Assessments of Peoples' Troubles (IAPT)

'IAPT' is the acronym for 'Improving Access to Psychological Therapies'; a recent government initiative engineered by an economist whose father was a Psychoanalyst trained by one of the founding fathers of therapy, Carl Jung.
I've always had a playful, cynical response to acronyms and my outraged response to a recent talk/discussion on 'Happiness' with Lord Professor Richard Layard (said economist) at the 'How the Light Gets In' festival at Hay-on-Wye, and these recent developments with which he is inexorably connected, tempted the following from me:

Idiotic Assessments of Peoples' Troubles
Institute of Acting Profoundly Thoughtlessly
Inappropriate Analysis of Psychological Therapy
Inexcusable Acts of Projection and Transference
Initiatives Advanced from Paternal Transference
Inappropriate Acts of Philanthropic Transference

IAPT is part of Layard's Orwellian plan for a happy society; he is now running round the country promoting his book and another initiative - 'Action for Happiness'. A noble enough intent I think, though for a man of some seventy something years, alarmingly naive. In Hay, his viewpoints in discussion with Simon May, philosopher, and Jess Norman, Conservative MP, left me and many others open-mouthed. While of course, I hope his promotional and proselytising journey evokes happiness for others, and indeed himself, his belief that happiness is a measurable state, and one which can be engineered (via IAPT e.g.) all in the name of economic sense tempts me to call NAIVE!

And finally......., while I don't have the exact quote to hand, one phrase rang out from his talk at Hay; it goes something like this: "We can always resort to medication"!!! This man is the advisor to the government on our psychological therapy! Oh dear!


First Noble Truth:
birth is suffering, aging is suffering, illness is suffering, death is suffering; sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief and despair are suffering; union with what is displeasing is suffering; separation from what is pleasing is suffering; not to get what one wants is suffering; in brief, the five aggregates subject to clinging are suffering

This is what a therapist deals with! Happiness is a fleeting bonus. May you be happy.