If you have visited your GP about anxiety, you have probably been told that the waiting time for therapy is substantial. In many parts of the UK, IAPT (Improving Access to Psychological Therapies) waiting lists for CBT now exceed 18 months. In some areas, the wait is longer.
For someone in the grip of an anxiety disorder — living with panic attacks, unable to leave the house, or trapped in the paralysing cycle of OCD — 18 months is not an acceptable timeframe. Recovery cannot wait that long.
What you are entitled to within the NHS
Under NICE guidelines, people with anxiety disorders are entitled to:
In practice, the pathway from GP referral to meaningful support is slow, and the treatment provided — usually time-limited CBT — has significant limitations for long-term recovery.
Your options outside the NHS
Private psychological therapy is one option — though costs can be substantial (£80–£150+ per session), and the approach is typically the same CBT that IAPT offers.
LAR Coaching is different in three important ways:
1. Availability. There are no waiting lists. Coaching begins when you are ready.
2. Approach. LAR Coaching addresses the physiological root of anxiety disorder — hyper-vigilance — rather than managing symptoms. The outcomes are consistently permanent.
3. Value. The complete LAR programme, including 5 coaching sessions, unlimited interim support, 12 months' community access, and weekly webinars with Charles Linden, is £600. For the majority of clients, this represents the entirety of their treatment cost — because they recover completely.
The cost of waiting
The true cost of an 18-month wait for NHS treatment is not merely financial. It is 18 more months of panic attacks. 18 more months of avoidance and restriction. 18 more months of a life constrained by anxiety.
For many people, that cost is incalculable.
What to do today
You do not have to wait. A free 30-minute consultation with one of our recovery coaches will give you a clear picture of what recovery looks like for you specifically — what the process involves, how long it typically takes, and what your life looks like on the other side.
That conversation costs nothing. The call is free, the pressure is zero, and recovery might be closer than you think.