Large effectiveness: 0.94
What is Interpersonal Psychotherapy?
1. Brief, 12-16 weeks
2. Attachment focused, seeks to resolve interpersonal problems and symptoms
3. Techniques: homework, structured interviews, and assessment tools
4. Attachment theory: basis for understanding relationship difficulties
5. Seeks to improve interpersonal and intrapersonal communication skills within relationships, to develop a social support network, and realistic expectations on how to deal with crises.
6. Works by: Enhancing social support, decreasing interpersonal stress, facilitating emotional processing, and improving interpersonal skills.
Evidence:
0.60 moderate effect: therapy compared to control group decreased depression symptoms (Cuijpers, Donker, Weissman, Ravitz, & Cristea, 2016)
0.24 small effect: pharmacotherapy plus therapy (Cuijpers, Donker, Weissman, Ravitz, & Cristea, 2016)
0.57 moderate effect: reduced depression in caregivers of children 1 month after treatment (Mutamba, Kane, de Jong, Okello, Musisi, & Kohrt, 2018)
0.54 moderate effect: reduced depression in caregivers of children 6 months after treatment (Mutamba, Kane, de Jong, Okello, Musisi, & Kohrt, 2018)
1.58 large effect: improved clinical outcomes at 1 year follow-up (Kontunen, Timonen, Muotka, & Liukkonen, 2016)
1.40 large effect: decreased depression symptoms (Kontunen, Timonen, Muotka, & Liukkonen, 2016)
1.26 large effect: decreased depression symptoms (Stewart, Raffa, Steele, Miller, Clougherty, Hinrichsen, & Karlin, 2014)
Cuijpers, P., Donker, T., Weissman, M. M., Ravitz, P., & Cristea, I. A. (2016). Interpersonal psychotherapy for mental health problems: A comprehensive meta-analysis. The American Journal Of Psychiatry, 173(7), 680-687. doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.2015.15091141
Kontunen, J., Timonen, M., Muotka, J., & Liukkonen, T. (2016). Is interpersonal counselling (IPC) sufficient treatment for depression in primary care patients? A pilot study comparing IPC and interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT). Journal Of Affective Disorders, 18989-93. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2015.09.032
Mutamba, B. B., Kane, J. C., de Jong, J. M., Okello, J., Musisi, S., & Kohrt, B. A. (2018). Psychological treatments delivered by community health workers in low-resource government health systems: Effectiveness of group interpersonal psychotherapy for caregivers of children affected by nodding syndrome in Uganda. Psychological Medicine, doi:10.1017/S0033291718000193
Stewart, M. O., Raffa, S. D., Steele, J. L., Miller, S. A., Clougherty, K. F., Hinrichsen, G. A., & Karlin, B. E. (2014). National dissemination of interpersonal psychotherapy for depression in veterans: Therapist and patient-level outcomes. Journal Of Consulting And Clinical Psychology, 82(6), 1201-1206. doi:10.1037/a0037410
How To Therapy 