New national mental health service offers therapy with no waiting lists—and a revolutionary training academy for future therapists.

A new mental health service, Towards, is set to launch its first high street therapy hub in Leeds this July. Aiming to make therapy more accessible, affordable, and reliable, Towards offers in-person and online sessions—with no waiting lists.

Through its Towards Pledge, clients can sign up in 5 minutes, hear from a therapist in 5 hours, and begin their first session within 5 days.

The Leeds hub, located on Albion Place, is the first of many planned locations across the UK. It will be staffed by a closely supervised team of fully qualified and qualifying therapists with experience across adult, child, and young people services.

Training a New Generation of Therapists

Alongside its therapy services, Towards is launching the Towards Academy—a groundbreaking new training programme developed in partnership with the Cedar Create, University of Exeter.

The Academy focuses on practical, in-person learning and offers financial support to trainees. It’s designed to open up the profession to people with the right personal qualities—not just academic qualifications—helping to address the chronic shortage of therapists across the UK.

“Quite simply there are not enough therapists to meet the needs of people who have common mental health problems.  Additionally, we know that there is significant variance in the quality of therapy on offer.  We want to do something about that.  Our partnership with the University of Exeter gives the best chance of making a difference.” – Dr Sarah Bateup

The University of Exeter’s expertise in building accredited therapy training programmes has shaped the Towards Academy from day one and is designed and provided by the Cedar Create team, which is housed within Cedar, the University’s Applied Psychological Practice Centre of Excellence and is one of the UK’s largest providers of training in evidence-based psychological practice and therapies.

“There is a critical shortage of therapists here in the UK with increasing and unwavering mental health need across the lifespan. This is why we are delighted to be working in partnership with Towards, to help bridge that gap by developing and co-delivering accessible and evidence based training for brand new therapists. At Cedar Create, in line with our mission, we will also be evaluating the efficiency and effectiveness of the training and hubs themselves and consulting on how practices can be improved.” – Professor Catherine Gallop, Director of Clinical Training and Cedar.

Making Therapy More Accessible, Nationwide

By operating from bright, welcoming high street locations, Towards is working to make therapy feel as everyday as popping to the optician—while ensuring each space is designed with the privacy and discretion people need to feel safe and supported.

The Leeds opening is just the start. Towards plans to open more hubs across the UK throughout 2025 and 2026, bringing quality therapy to more people, in more places.

“A broken system has put therapy out of reach for too many people. We’ve been there ourselves. It’s not just an emotional challenge. It’s the long hours spent searching for the right therapist, only to find they aren’t available. It’s the worry about the cost. Then if you do access therapy, it’s too often inconvenient, one-size-fits-all, and ineffective. We’re here to change that.” – Tim Rideout, CEO at Towards

Addressing the UK’s Growing Mental Health Needs

Mental health now accounts for 40% of all GP consultations in the UK. With NHS waiting lists continuing to grow, many people are left struggling without support.

Towards offers an alternative: a way for people to access top-quality therapy quickly and safely, whether online or in person.