Interpersonal Psychotherapy: Principles, Practice, and Clinical Use

Introduction to Interpersonal Psychotherapy

There is a significant amount of utility in interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT). This utility extends beyond the patient and includes a degree of usefulness for the therapist as well, addressing both mood disorders and non-mood disorders alike. Interpersonal psychotherapy appears to be a viable option for helping patients assert themselves and regain a sense of control over their own lives and happiness. For these reasons, I would advocate utilizing this methodology for a variety of therapeutic applications and am thoroughly convinced of the good it can produce in the process.

Environmental Factors and the Roots of Depression

Perhaps the principal reason I am in favor of interpersonal psychotherapy is that many of its core tenets are aligned with my personal worldview. One of the fundamental principles of this psychological approach is that there is a direct correlation between one's environment and the forces it exerts on the individual. Therapists are assigned the responsibility of deconstructing the "interpersonal context" of the depression patients experience (Verdelli and Weissman, p. 353). I have long subscribed to this notion as it applies to various facets of psychology and to life in general. Psychotherapy not only supports this viewpoint but is largely based on deriving action from it.

In particular, patients — especially those suffering from mood disorders such as clinical depression — tend to internalize their depression and believe it innately stems from within themselves. Interpersonal psychotherapy, however, is able to curb this perception and help get to the root of the issues troubling patients by encouraging them to examine the external, environmental factors that have detrimentally affected them internally.

Treating Afflictions as Illness: The Role of Hope

Another facet of this theory that I found profound, and which appears to be of great benefit to patients, is that it treats the maladies affecting patients as illnesses. Again, many patients may believe that there is something inherently wrong with themselves and that they are at fault for their feelings and the things negatively impacting their lives. Interpersonal psychotherapy, however, adheres to the philosophy that patients are suffering from an illness — one that is finite and ultimately curable. This resonates with me because it implies that patients are not flawed individuals with something intrinsically wrong with them.

Moreover, this aspect of the theory provides hope and lets patients know that they can move beyond their respective problems if they are willing to listen to the therapist, follow his or her approach, and do the work required to move forward. There are other theories in which this kind of hope (Verdelli and Weissman, p. 352) — or perhaps even redemption — is not ingrained in the framework itself. The primary reason I give great credence to interpersonal psychotherapy is that it is partly based on the concept that a patient's afflictions can be removed from their lives, even permanently in some instances.

Conclusion: Hope and Redemption in IPT

The most commendable aspect of interpersonal psychotherapy is the redeeming hope it gives its patients. Therapists make a dedicated effort to reinforce the belief that there are extrinsic factors causing problems for people, and that if patients simply address those factors accordingly, they can eventually move beyond them and regain balance and happiness in their lives. There is some requirement of faith to sustain such a belief, both on the part of the patient and the clinician. This aspect of faith is a part of my life in numerous ways, which is why it would likely serve me well in my professional clinical work as much as it does in my personal life.