On 8th July, George Osborne will unveil details of a possible £12 billion of welfare savings. We will be paying close attention to the details of this announcement as thiscould pose potential implications for people with mental health problems, specifically for children and young people. We anticipate and hope that mental health spending is increased as we look for the government to confirm on its commitment.

The future of therapy? Online counselling is MORE effective than face-to-face sessions

• University of Zurich found virtual therapy more successful than face-to-face sessions
• Fifty-seven per cent of online patients completed course depression free
• Only 42 per cent of cases who saw therapist in person felt better
• Down to paper trail: online subjects looked over notes from time to time

Therapy traditionally consists of sitting on a comfortable sofa while pouring your heart out to a counsellor.

But in this digital age, online therapy is just as beneficial - if not more so - than conventional therapy.

According to a new study from the University of Zurich, therapy sessions carried out online have become

increasingly common in recent years.

Many sites, like Breakthrough.com and California Live Visit, have created a network of therapists who

use instant messages, emails and even video chats to help their patients.

To investigate how effective this method was, researchers asked six therapists to treat 62 patients suffering

from moderate depression.