Interpersonal Psychotherapy: Sounds Creepy (but it's not)

Interpersonal psychotherapy: sounds creepy (but it’s not). I remember going to see a therapist with my ex-husband, and she literally narrowed her sights on me. She just dismissed him totally. In a way, I felt sorry for him, even though all we did was argue. He was basically shot down in the first session, like he didn’t matter. That was wrong on her part.

Nevertheless, she wasn’t my therapist for long. She tried interpersonal therapy with me, but there were some radical things that happened during that time. I will never forget them, so I canceled her!

What is Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT)? Interpersonal Psychotherapy is a type of talk therapy that focuses on helping people improve their mental health by focusing on their relationships with others.

Instead of digging into past childhood issues, interpersonal therapy focuses on current problems and how they affect your interactions with family, friends, and colleagues. The goal is to help you communicate better, resolve conflicts, and build healthier relationships, which can lead to feeling better overall.

Interpersonal Psychotherapy in Essence

IPT has been shown to work as well as CBT in treating depression and preventing relapses. It can help alleviate depression, it works best when provided with antidepressants.

It is:

Present focused: IPT focuses on current relationships, not those in the distant past.
Goal orientated: Your therapist and you will work to identify a small number of therapeutic goals.
Time limited: IPT is typically delivered in 12–16 weekly sessions.
Highly structured: IPT involves structured interviews and assessments.
Evidence based: Numerous studies have found IPT to be an effective treatment for depression and other mood disorders.

Interpersonal Therapy for Adolescents

Interpersonal psychotherapy: sounds creepy, but it’s not. It truly helps. Interpersonal therapy for teens is a way to help teens build better relationships and improve communication. It’s all about tackling challenges like conflicts with family or friends, shifts in social roles, dealing with grief or loss, and managing mood disorders.

The therapy focuses on helping teens improve their social skills, relationships, and emotional well-being by working on how they interact with others. Interpersonal process group therapy can be a great option for adolescents.

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Ten Unique Ways to Use IPT

Here are ten uniquely ways to use interpersonal therapy for depression:

Rebuilding Trust After Betrayal

IPT can help individuals or couples work through complex betrayals, like infidelity or broken trust in friendships, by addressing the emotional impact and focusing on rebuilding connections.

This therapy looks at how the betrayal has affected emotions, thoughts, and behaviors, helping clients better understand their reactions. With this understanding, they can learn to communicate their needs more effectively and work towards rebuilding trust.

My whole friendship with the girl across the street was a lie. She used me like everyone else in school. I’ll never forget the time when I was being bullied on the bus. I asked her to help me, and she flat out said no. It took me years later with IPT to overcome my problems interacting with people now, which stemmed from the past. I’m sorry, but I don’t want to reconnect with her!

Improving Dynamics in Multi-Generational Households

Living with extended family can create unique relational strains. IPT can help navigate boundaries, role expectations, and communication issues within such households to foster harmony. Living with extended family can be both a blessing and a challenge.

On one hand, having multiple generations living under one roof can provide a strong support system and create a sense of community. On the other hand, it can also lead to conflicts and tension as everyone navigates their roles and boundaries within the household.

I guess you could say I live in a multi generational household. It’s my dad, me, my dad’s friend, and her seventeen year old son. Conflicts among the three younger generations have caused clashes. I just stay in my room because I don’t want to deal with the fights.

Supporting Caregivers of Chronically Ill Loved Ones

Interpersonal psychotherapy: sounds creepy (but it’s not). Caregiving can be tough—it’s normal to feel stressed, resentful, or even guilty. That’s where IPT comes in. It gives caregivers a safe space to work through their emotions and build stronger relationships with the people they’re caring for. This helps caregivers feel more grounded, but also improves the quality of care they provide.

If you’re a caregiver, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed or stretched too thin. Balancing your own needs with someone else’s can be challenging, but don’t forget—taking care of yourself is just as important as caring for them.

Dealing with Workplace Relationship Stress

Relational difficulties at work, such as conflict with colleagues or power imbalances with supervisors, can be addressed with IPT to reduce stress and improve professional relationships.

During my last job, I was so anxious ridden that I couldn’t think straight. Basically, I was making a fool out of myself. I used IPT to reduce the stress I received from my coworkers mocking me. It helped a lot, even though I’m no longer working there.

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Adjusting to Stepfamily Dynamics

Blended families face their own challenges, from building relationships with stepchildren to juggling co-parenting dynamics. It can feel overwhelming to navigate these new dynamics, especially if you’re struggling to connect with step-kids or feel like an outsider in your own home. These issues can create stress and conflict for everyone.

That’s where Integrative Problem-Solving Therapy (IPT) can make a difference. IPT focuses on practical problem-solving skills and better communication to strengthen relationships. It’s especially useful for families adjusting to big transitions, like blending households.

Navigating Estrangement or Reconnection

Interpersonal psychotherapy: sounds creepy (but it’s not). but is very effective. IPT helps people navigate estranged friendships or as a family based interpersonal psychotherapy. It offers tools to decide whether to reconnect or find peace with the distance.

I was taught IPT years ago, when I was still seeing a therapist. I used interpersonal psychotherapy to reconnect with my dad. We each have our own opinions, so I try not to impose mine on his. Plus, I have been doing well mental health wise, so I think that has helped.

Managing the Emotional Impact of Internet Relationships

Online friendships and dating can sometimes bring up tricky or unclear relationship issues. IPT helps people work through the emotions tied to these digital connections and find ways to address the challenges they bring.

I’m scared to befriend anyone on social media, especially Facebook. There are many weirdos waiting to pounce. I’ve befriended a few men, and they turned out to be freaks. I use IPT to weed my way through the “bad” ones by determining their true nature of the friendship.

Handling Fame or Public Life Struggles

For those in the public eye, IPT can support them in navigating the relational pressure and isolation that often come with fame, helping them maintain authentic personal connections. IPT is also beneficial for individuals struggling with depression, anxiety, and interpersonal difficulties. It focuses on improving communication skills, identifying and addressing relationship patterns and conflicts, and building a support system.

In today’s world, it seems like everyone wants to be famous. With the rise of social media platforms and reality TV shows, becoming a public figure can seem like the ultimate goal. However, what many people don’t realize is that fame comes with its own set of challenges.

Fame often brings intense scrutiny from the public eye. Every move you make is watched and judged by millions of people. This constant pressure can lead to feelings of isolation and loneliness, as it becomes difficult to trust others or form genuine connections.

Coping with Adoption-Related Interpersonal Struggles

Interpersonal psychotherapy: sounds creepy (but it’s not). Adoption can bring up many emotions—like feelings of loss, questions about identity, or challenges in managing relationships between adoptive and biological families. These situations can be tricky to navigate, and sometimes put a strain on relationships.

Processing Challenges in Platonic Life Partnerships

Platonic life partnerships, where close friends commit to sharing their lives, can come with unusual relational tensions. IPT helps partners strengthen their bond, clarify expectations, and resolve any conflicts compassionately.

Platonic life partnerships, or “platonic marriages”, are a growing trend in today’s society. These close friendships, often between two individuals of the same sex, involve a commitment to share their lives in a non-romantic way. While this type of relationship may seem unconventional, it offers unique benefits and challenges.

One common challenge in platonic life partnerships is navigating boundaries and expectations. In traditional marriages, roles and responsibilities are usually clearly defined. However, in platonic partnerships, these lines can be blurrier. It’s important for partners to openly communicate their expectations and discuss potential conflicts.

Sum It All Up

Interpersonal psychotherapy: sounds creepy (but it’s not). In a nutshell, interpersonal psychotherapy works. I have learned a lot from it and plan to continue using it in the future. It has helped me through different relationships and how to cope with mental struggles.

I wish I could go back and tell my younger self that “you’re going to have hard relationships, but everything will turn out OK. It’s just a learning process that everyone goes through in their lifetime.”

I believe when I started interpersonal psychotherapy, I didn’t understand it at first. But now, I understand it and how it has helped me gain clarity in my relationships. Peace and always love. Until next time.

Articles About Interpersonal Psychotherapy

5 Types of Therapy for Major Depressive Disorder

21 Best Interpersonal Therapy Techniques & Worksheets [PDF]

How Does Interpersonal Therapy (IPT) Work?

All about Interpersonal Therapy (IPT) for Depression and Relationships

Have a Good One,

Cindee Murphy
“One Voice Using Interpersonal Psychotherapy”

“Where you stand determines what you see and what you do not see; it determines also the angle you see it from; a change in where you stand changes everything.”-Steve de Shazer

“Problem talk creates problems, Solution talk creates solutions.”-Steve de Shazer

“Psychotherapy is the prostitution of friendship.”-Hans Eysenck

“Psychotherapy may begin with rudimentary, but it must end with the divine, for both are integral factors in the human mind.”-Dion Fortune

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