Therapists see lifestyle psychiatry as relevant to therapy but say guidance is lacking

Psychological therapists broadly view lifestyle psychiatry as relevant and compatible with their existing practice, but many say they need structured guidance, training and interdisciplinary collaboration before they can embed it in routine care, according to a qualitative study published in BMC Psychology.

Lifestyle psychiatry focuses on modifiable health behaviours, including sleep, diet, smoking cessation and physical activity, and their role in mental health. Although evidence in this area has been growing, the integration of lifestyle psychiatry into standard mental health care remains limited, and the perspectives of psychological therapists on this integration have been under researched.

To address that gap, researchers interviewed eighteen psychological therapists using semi-structured interviews. The team applied reflexive thematic analysis to explore the participants’ experiences and views on incorporating lifestyle psychiatry into therapy.

The analysis produced four overarching themes. The first concerned therapists’ conceptualisations of lifestyle, examining how the participating therapists understood and defined lifestyle in the context of their work. The second addressed the place of lifestyle within the therapy process itself, describing where therapists saw lifestyle topics fitting into therapeutic conversations.

The third theme identified barriers to addressing lifestyle in therapy, while the fourth, described as making it possible, covered facilitators and future directions for integrating lifestyle psychiatry into clinical work.

Across the interviews, most therapists perceived lifestyle psychiatry as relevant and compatible with their current practice. However, the study’s conclusions note that structured guidance, training and interdisciplinary collaboration were seen as necessary to embed lifestyle psychiatry into their work.

Beyond individual-level supports, the researchers highlight systemic changes as potentially enabling further integration. These include addressing role ambiguity, service-level pressures and client barriers, which the study identifies as factors that may currently limit how far therapists can engage with lifestyle within therapy.

The study is a qualitative exploration based on interviews with eighteen psychological therapists, and its findings reflect the perspectives of that participant group rather than measured clinical outcomes. The authors report that the research was published as open access research in BMC Psychology, with the article released on 28 October 2026.

As the study concludes, systemic changes addressing role ambiguity, service-level pressures and client barriers may enable further integration of lifestyle psychiatry into clinical practice, complementing the guidance, training and collaboration that therapists themselves identified as necessary.

Subject of Research: Psychological therapists' perspectives on incorporating lifestyle psychiatry into therapy

Article Title: Exploring psychological therapists’ perspectives and experiences of lifestyle psychiatry implementation: a qualitative study

Article References: Wild, A., Sawyer, C., Hassan, L., Brown-Ojeda, C., & Firth, J. (2026). Exploring psychological therapists’ perspectives and experiences of lifestyle psychiatry implementation: a qualitative study. BMC Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-026-05836-0

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1186/s40359-026-05836-0

Keywords: lifestyle psychiatry, psychological therapists, qualitative study, mental health care, thematic analysis, health behaviours, physical activity, sleep, diet, smoking cessation, training, interdisciplinary collaboration