Review: primary care counselling improves short term but not long term psychological symptoms in patients with psychological and psychosocial problems.

Data sources Studies were identified by searching databases including Medline; EMBASE/Excerpta Medica; PsycLIT; CINAHL; the Cochrane Library; and the Cochrane Collaboration Depression, Anxiety, and Neurosis Register of Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) and Controlled Clinical Trials (for trials completed by June 2001). Search terms included primary health care, counselling, psychotherapy, general practice, and clinical psychology. Bibliographies of relevant studies were scanned, and experts were contacted.