Andy Burnham became PM the same week my professional body called for counselling to be treated as core NHS infrastructure. This isn't about politics — it's about a harder truth: GPs aren't the problem, and short-term therapy genuinely helps many people. But even the community charities built to offer something longer-term are being squeezed into the same brief model, leaving people with deep-seated, longstanding issues fewer places to turn.

This week, a small Maidenhead charity turned 50. Number 22 Community Counselling Services trained me, gave me my first long-term client, and is still the reason I get to do this work today.