Psychotherapeutic interventions for people with learning disabilities

Psychotherapeutic treatments for people with learning disabilities that were previously discounted as a valid treatment intervention are increasingly being recognized as relevant and effective. People with learning disabilities have significant mental health problems as well as developmental psychological issues, for which psychotherapies would be considered as potentially beneficial interventions in the general population. National strategies for the development of psychotherapies are now recognizing the need to include people with a learning disability and the need for specialist services in this area. A range of psychotherapeutic modalities have been described as having relevance and being effective. Though some individuals with learning disability may benefit from mainstream services, others will require an adaptation of approach and an acknowledgement of the particular issues of disability. Not to make these adaptations may effectively exclude people from being able to be helped by psychotherapy. Whilst practitioners are clear in their views of the effectiveness of their work, the evidence base remains sparse and some of the difficulties in conducting research in this area are described.