Interpersonal Therapy (IPT) is a short-term, focused treatment for depression and other mental health disorders. IPT Therapy is based on the idea that interpersonal issues play a significant role in the development and maintenance of psychological symptoms. In my practice, I use Interpersonal Therapy for depression, anxiety, life transitions, and other challenges in combination with other humanistic methods and techniques.
If you want to discuss how interpersonal therapy might work for you or a loved one, I’d be happy to talk to you at any time. Feel free to schedule a consultation or contact me anytime. First, here is an overview of IPT therapy and then some specific information about interpersonal therapy for depression.
Origins, Theory, and Research
IPT was developed in the 1970s by Gerald Klerman and Myrna Weissman as a treatment for major depressive disorder. It has since been adapted for other mental health conditions, including bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It is grounded in the belief that psychological symptoms often respond to difficulties in relationships and social roles. The underlying philosophy is that improving interpersonal functioning and addressing problematic relationships can help reduce psychological symptoms.
Numerous studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of interpersonal therapy for depression and other mental health conditions. This approach is as effective as cognitive-behavioral (CBT) and medication for depression, with some evidence suggesting it may be particularly beneficial for individuals experiencing relationship-related issues.
IPT Therapy Goals
This approach aims to improve interpersonal relationships and social functioning that affect mental health by identifying and addressing problems in these areas. It typically involves exploring four key areas:
1. Interpersonal disputes
This area involves addressing conflicts or misunderstandings in relationships that may contribute to the individual’s distress. Most often, these struggles have a current component, but IPT therapy can also be used to resolve challenges and barriers related to former relationships. We may also explore the past as it relates to how you overcame challenges in the past if there are ways you can learn to manage today’s stressors.
2. Interpersonal Therapy and Role Transitions
Life transitions such as marriage, divorce, job loss, or retirement can disrupt social roles and lead to emotional difficulties. IPT therapy helps individuals adjust to these changes. It is not uncommon for a couple who is planning to get married to come in for this type of treatment or even to pursue it separately so they can work out their own issues and not bring them into the marriage.
3. IPT Therapy and Grief
Interpersonal therapy helps individuals cope with the loss of a loved one or other significant losses, which can often trigger or exacerbate depressive symptoms. Using interpersonal therapy, you can work on unresolved conflicts and issues in your relationship with the person you lost or work on related difficulties that arise with people in your life.
4. Interpersonal deficits
Some people may struggle with social skills or have difficulty forming and maintaining relationships. Interpersonal therapy helps them develop more effective social skills. This can be a perfect adjunct to other types of treatment.
Interpersonal Therapy Process
This type of therapy is typically structured, time-limited, and collaborative. As with many humanistic therapies I provide, the focus is on the here and now rather than delving deeply into past experiences too deeply. It starts with identifying specific interpersonal problems or patterns that may contribute to challenges. This involves exploring past and present relationships, communication styles, and social interactions to understand how these factors impact the client’s mood.
Once interpersonal issues are identified, we collaboratively set treatment goals to improve interpersonal functioning, such as resolving conflicts, adjusting to life transitions, or enhancing social support. The results of this method can be powerful and lasting, as it addresses longstanding challenges and barriers.
Here are some examples of the specific methods I use related to interpersonal therapy:
Interpersonal Inventory
This method involves examining the client’s current and past relationships to identify key interpersonal themes and patterns. By gaining insight into your interpersonal history, I can better understand the factors contributing to your depression and tailor treatment accordingly. Sometimes, I suggest IPT after getting to know a client’s social history, even when we are also using another therapeutic method.
Role-playing and Communication Skills Training
This method often incorporates role-playing exercises and communication skills training to help clients improve their ability to express themselves assertively, set boundaries, and navigate interpersonal interactions more effectively. This sometimes leads to homework for you to do outside of sessions.
Interpersonal Therapy and Problem Solving
IPT helps clients develop problem-solving skills to address interpersonal conflicts and challenges. This may involve breaking down problems into manageable steps, generating potential solutions, and evaluating the pros and cons of each option.
IPT Therapy and Role Transitions
Interpersonal therapy helps clients adjust to significant life transitions, such as starting a new job, ending a relationship, or becoming a parent. This may involve exploring your feelings about the transition, identifying sources of support, and developing coping strategies. This method often involves homework as you try out new communication and coping strategies to determine their effectiveness.
Improving Social Support
IPT focuses on enhancing the client’s social support network by identifying supportive individuals in their lives, strengthening existing relationships, and building new connections. This may involve exploring barriers to social support and finding ways to overcome them. This is why interpersonal therapy is such a popular group therapy approach: It can be used in the group in real time to address social challenges.
Ending Interpersonal Therapy and Relapse Prevention
Toward the end of treatment, my methods help clients develop strategies to maintain their progress and prevent relapse. This may involve identifying warning signs of depression recurrence, practicing coping skills, and accessing ongoing support as needed.
These strategies are typically implemented within a structured and time-limited framework, with us working together to achieve treatment goals and improve interpersonal functioning.
Interpersonal Therapy for Depression
Interpersonal therapy is widely used as a treatment for depression. It’s grounded in the understanding that interpersonal relationships and social context greatly influence one’s emotional state. Here’s how I borrow from the strategies of interpersonal therapy for depression:
Interpersonal Therapy for Depression Assessment
I begin by conducting a thorough assessment of my client’s current interpersonal functioning and relationships, as well as their symptoms of depression. This assessment helps identify patterns of interaction and areas of difficulty in relationships that may be contributing to the depression. We often use other methods, such as CBT or ACT at first. Then, when it becomes clear that interpersonal issues are also playing a role, we layer on IPT therapy to address those issues.
Interpersonal Therapy for Depression and Treatment Goals
Based on the assessment, we collaboratively set treatment goals. These goals often revolve around improving interpersonal functioning, such as resolving conflicts, adjusting to life transitions, or improving communication skills. In an integrative practice, your treatment plan may have different methods for different goals, and interpersonal therapy for depression may be chosen for the contributing social factors.
Identifying Interpersonal Issues
I help clients identify specific interpersonal issues contributing to their depression. These issues could include unresolved conflicts, grief and loss, role transitions, or social isolation. It is not uncommon for social issues to underlie challenges such as depression and anxiety, and thus, this approach can be helpful in many circumstances.
Working Through Interpersonal Problems
Once the issues are identified, we work together to address them. This may involve learning new communication skills, practicing assertiveness, or exploring ways to navigate difficult relationships. Interpersonal therapy also focuses on enhancing each client’s social support network. This may involve identifying supportive individuals in their lives, strengthening existing relationships, and building new connections.
Grieving and processing losses
For clients who are dealing with grief or loss, I often use interpersonal treatment techniques within a supportive environment to help them express their feelings and work through the grieving process. This may involve revisiting memories, exploring the significance of the loss, and finding ways to cope with the pain.
IPT and My Work
Interpersonal Psychotherapy is a well-established, structured form of therapy that focuses on the relational aspects of mental health. By improving interpersonal functioning and addressing specific relational problems, IPT helps individuals alleviate psychological symptoms and enhance their overall quality of life. As part of my integrative practice, I offer this approach as an add-on to other methods or a core approach for certain goals.
I use this method to alleviate depression by addressing underlying interpersonal issues and improving the quality of the client’s relationships and social functioning. In my integrative psychological practice, I use interpersonal therapy for depression, social anxiety, and other diagnoses, often as an adjunct to other methods.
Forms of Interpersonal Therapy
I use interpersonal therapy in the following ways:
- Adults individual: The most common form is IPT therapy for individual adults who want to work on emotional challenges, social anxieties, or just general contentment
- Adolescent IPT (IPT-A): This method addresses teenagers’ developmental needs and social challenges. It is specifically designed to be developmentally appropriate for adolescents. I use a similar approach in my young adult therapy groups.
- Group Treatment: In my fear of public speaking groups, for example, I use these methods to leverage peer support and shared experiences.
- Couples Therapy: Often couples can work on the issues that affect their relationship, even if they have their roots in prior relationships
- Maintenance Interpersonal therapy for depression: I use this approach to prevent relapse in individuals with recurrent depression.
- Brief IPT: This approach is a shorter version for use when long-term is not feasible, or there are specific long-term goals.
Please feel free to contact me or schedule a consultation anytime to discuss how IPT therapy might be helpful for you or if you generally want information about interpersonal therapy.
