Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg recently unveiled new NHS objectives to offer ‘talking therapies’ for conditions such as depression, with an initial commitment to guarantee access for 75% of patients within six weeks.

However, CABA is providing help within a timescale of between one day and a week.

Kelly Feehan, service manager at CABA, said: ‘Anyone who comes to us with a mental health issue will usually have an assessment with a counsellor within 48 hours but, if the case is urgent, it can be done within 24 hours. The therapy can then start straightaway.’

‘Our belief is that anyone with this kind of issue needs help as soon as possible and ICAEW members and their families are in the fortunate position of being able to come to CABA and receive support quicker than through the NHS.’

Mental health worries topped the list of enquiries received by CABA for the first time over the summer, headed by concerns over stress followed by depression, relationship issues and bereavement.

The charity suggested that the typical profile of an accountant as highly self-reliant, contained and disciplined could put them at risk of stress when under pressure at work, but said there is no evidence that ICAEW members are experiencing issues with their mental health in greater numbers.

Rather, it says the rise in enquiries is down to a ‘watershed’ moment where accountants are becoming less reticent when it comes to seeking support. CABA’s research suggests levels of mental ill health encountered by ICAEW members were similar to the general population, affecting about one in four people.

‘Stress and depression account for the vast majority of enquiries that we receive but both of these conditions respond well to the kind of therapies that we offer. In the vast majority of cases, the outcomes achieved are very good and, of course, confidentiality is given absolute priority,’ Feehan said.