Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT)
IPT is a treatment for depression in adults, adolescents, and pre-adolescents recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
This therapy is based on the idea that depression responds to and influences what happens in our relationships. Just as relationship difficulties can lower our mood, so meaningful and supportive relationships can help us to feel better.
We offer Interpersonal Psychotherapy Treatment for Adolescents and Family Based Interpersonal Psychotherapy. We also have several training options for professionals.
What is IPT?
IPT has two simple aims - to reduce the impact of symptoms of depression and to resolve current relationship difficulties. IPT organises therapy around commonly experienced relationship difficulties, described as focal areas. These are disputes in an important relationship, adjusting to significant changes, bereavement and difficulty making and maintaining meaningful relationships. Many people experience more than one of these difficulties but having a focus can help to contain the work and give it clear direction. Goals that are linked to the focal area are agreed and this helps to personalise this process for each person.
Common elements of all the IPT-based therapies:
Structed into three phases
Time-limited (12–16 weeks)
Focuses on here and now concerns
Aims to improve interpersonal relationships and communication
Involves the people around you as a support team
IPT for Adolescents with depression (IPT-A) also helps young people to learn about their feelings and develop constructive interpersonal skills in a way that will be helpful now and after therapy. Parents and carers are regularly involved in sessions to improve their understanding ability to offer support.
IPT-A Skill Training (IPT-AST) is a group designed to support young people who are experiencing some symptoms of depression but do not yet have a diagnosis. The aim of the group is to prevent depression. Group members help each other to learn ways to talk about feelings, negotiate with others, and strengthen important relationships.
Family Based IPT (FB-IPT) helps to develop good communication skills and has been adapted for use with preadolescents (9-12 years). Parents are involved in every session.
Treatment
Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT-A) is a treatment for young people with depression, which looks at the ways in which symptoms of depression interact with the relationships in their lives. IPT‐A helps the young person to make sense of the difficulties they are experiencing and to understand how their relationships with other people contributed to how they feel and how they can be used to help them to feel better.
IPT-A is usually offered over 12 individual weekly sessions. Parents or carers will be invited to 3 or more additional sessions, which the young person can also attend.
During each session, the therapist will speak to the young person about their symptoms of depression, what had been happening in their relationships over the last week, and how to work towards their interpersonal goals. The young person will be encouraged to recruit their own personal 'recovery team' to support them in this work. The therapist will support the young person in making positive changes. This might involve help with getting back into routines that have been difficult since the depressive symptoms started or communicating more clearly about how they feel and what they need from other people.
To make a referral for IPT-A click here to complete an enquiry form: https://forms.office.com/r/vt3WA2t811.
For more information about IPT-A, please contact tracey.hughes@annafreud.org or click here.
Family Based–IPT (FB-IPT) is a 14-session treatment for depression in which pre-adolescent children work with a parent or carer to understand how the child’s depression is related to difficulties that often affect them both, for example bereavement, family conflict or changes in circumstances. The parent and child learn simple ideas to improve communication and interpersonal problem-solving. One parent or carer attend part of every FB-IPT session.
FB-IPT is broken down into in three phases.
In the initial phase, each session is divided between separate individual meetings with the child and with the accompanying parent. Over five session the primary interpersonal issue related to the child’s depressive symptoms and goals for therapy are agreed.
In the Middle Phase of FB-IPT, each weekly session is divided between individual time with the child and shared time with the parent or carer and child. The shared time is used to help parents and carers learn about the interpersonal skills, such as talking about feelings and meeting in the middle on a disagreement that are being taught to help the child make positive changes in the ways they interact with family and peers.
In the Ending Phase of FB-IPT, joint meetings will also focus on how to notice early warning signs and prevent future periods of depression.
To make a referral for FB-IPT click here to complete an enquiry form: https://forms.office.com/r/vt3WA2t811.
For more information about FB-IPT please contact the Clinical Support Officer, Tracey.Hughes@annafreud.org, or please click here.
View the FB-IPT information leaflet
Training
The 6-day course will provide experienced mental health professionals with an introduction to the IPT model. The course will cover the knowledge competencies for IPT with depression and an introduction to the skills competencies, which will be developed more fully in supervised clinical casework. The course provides an overview of modifications of IPT for use with adolescent populations and with eating disorders and its application with anxiety disorders.
Aims of the course:
This course provides introductory training for practitioners in IPT and reflects the IPT competency framework (www.ucl.ac.uk/CORE). This course is accredited with IPTUK and is suitable for staff working in IAPT services. The course includes a series of didactic sessions, small and large group work, and clinical role play. This course qualifies participants for Level A (Basic) training in IPT.
The course will provide experienced mental health professionals with an introduction to the IPT model. The course will cover the knowledge competencies for IPT with depression and an introduction to the skills competencies, which will be developed more fully in supervised clinical casework. The course provides an overview of modifications of IPT for use with adolescent populations and with eating disorders and its application with anxiety disorders.
Applicants should have a mental health qualification and at least two years post qualification experience of providing psychological therapy for people with mental health problems. Applicants, who have completed two years full time training in delivering psychological therapies e.g., final year clinical psychology trainees, are also welcomed to apply. Applicants with a range of training backgrounds are welcome e.g., clinical and counselling psychologists, counsellors, psychotherapists, psychiatrists, nurse therapists, social workers, occupational therapists, and GP’s. IAPT staff can attend this course and should indicate that they require IAPT compliant training when applying.
The course is not suitable for applicants who wish to acquire basic therapeutic skills. IPT is not a Step 2 intervention, and therefore not suitable for Practice Wellbeing Practitioners.
The course provides the first stage in working towards becoming an IPTUK Accredited IPT Practitioner. Following attendance on the course those wishing to become IPT practitioners are required to undertake supervision with an IPTUK accredited Supervisor. IAPT staff must arrange supervision that follows the IPT IAPT protocol and must confirm the supervision arrangement before attending the course. Supervision must be arranged directly with the supervisor and will involve an additional fee. Supervision can be provided face to face or remotely e.g., telephone, Skype. Trainees can be directed to qualified supervisors across the IPTUK network.
Accreditation to practitioner level requires four cases to be supervised, with recorded sessions reviewed. Each case runs for 16 sessions (unless they are CAMHS cases, in which case it is 12 sessions). We suggest leaving a one-month gap between starting each case, picking up a new case when the formulation has been agreed on the previous one. Trainees will be required to submit digital recordings of therapy sessions as well as written and verbal reports.
Who is this course suitable for?
Experienced mental health professionals.
Requirements for this course:
Evidence of completing a course of study in a model of psychological therapy.
A minimum of two year of post-qualification experience delivering psychological therapy.
At least two years’ employment in an NHS, private capacity or voluntary institution delivering psychological therapy with adults.
Registration with a professional body (HPC, BPC, APC, BPS, UKCP or BACP registration, or an equivalent registration outside of UK).
How much?
Typical cost for supervision on four cases in IAPT is £3,250.
£1250.00 training fee.
To book a place on this course please visit this page on our website.
This course is jointly delivered by Roslyn Law and a young champion, who is a young person with lived and professional experience of mental health care for young people. This course will provide accredited IPT practitioners with an introduction to working with adolescents with depression and to the ways in which IPT has been adapted in Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Depressed Adolescents (IPT-A) and when delivered in a family context. IPTUK has stipulated that this type of CDP training is required for all IPT practitioners who work with clients aged 16+ and is strongly recommended for IPT trained therapists working with clients from 18-24 years of age.
Aims of the course:
Provide an overview of how IPT has been adapted in IPT-A to enable accredited IPT practitioner to work with adolescents with depression.
Provide an introduction to the challenges and opportunities when working with and adolescents with depression.
Review the evidence for and modifications in practice when IPT is delivered with the family in mind.
Who is this course suitable for:
Accredited IPT practitioners who would like to learn about using IPT-A with an adolescent population or in a family context e.g., working with depressed parents of depressed adolescents. This course is suitable for IPT therapists who intend to work directly with adolescent with depression or who work with parents and want to understand more about how adolescents with depression experience their own mental health difficulties and the impact on the family.
How much?
Costs for this course are to be confirmed.
To hear about any new dates scheduled for this training, please visit this page on our website.
Mentalizing – attending to mental states in oneself and others in order to understand intention and behaviour – has been described as “the most fundamental common factor among psychotherapeutic techniques”.
Listen to 'Interpreting the Dodo Bird' podcast by Professor Peter Fonagy here.
This workshop is aimed at IPT practitioners and supervisors with an interest in exploring and consolidating their use of Mentalization techniques in IPT and therapists using Mentalization based treatment who would like to know more about IPT. We aim to learn from each other! Knowledge of Mentalization or IPT techniques is not assumed and a concise introduction to the key ideas underpinning Mentalization and their relevance for IPT practice will be covered. This workshop will employ a combination of didactic teaching, discussion of clinical illustrations, demonstrations as well as participant and tutor led role-plays.
Who is this course suitable for?
This course is suitable for: IPT practitioners and supervisors, and therapists and supervisors in Mentalization-Based Treatments.
Aims of the course
Explain and develop skills in the practical applications of mentalization based therapy techniques in the IPT framework;
Recognize breaks in mentalization in therapists and clients;
Implement techniques for restoring mentalization in patients following practice in role plays.
Costs & how to book
£250.00 Training fee
This six-day course, including one follow up refresher day, will provide a comprehensive introduction to the knowledge competencies of IPT-A for depression in adolescents and an introduction to the skills competencies, which will be developed more fully in supervised clinical casework. The course aims to enable students to deliver IPT-A competently and creatively and to act as expert resources to professional colleagues, contributing to the development of appropriate care pathways for IPT-A and informed patient choice. This course is based on the overarching competency framework for CYP IAPT, click here to find out more.
Aims of the course:
It aims to equip students to become skilled and creative independent IPT-A practitioners in the context of service transformation and:
To develop practical skills in delivering IPT-A for depression.
To develop practical competency in working collaboratively with parents and educational services as part of routine treatment of depression in young people.
To develop practice skills in conceptualizing and formulating from an interpersonal perspective and to develop a critical understanding of the parameters of such an approach.
To develop critical knowledge of the theoretical origins and research literature relating to IPT-A for depression.
Who is this course suitable for?
Applicants should have a mental health qualification and at least two years post qualification experience of providing psychological therapy for young people with mental health problems.
Applicants, who have completed two years full time training in delivering psychological therapies e.g., final year clinical psychology trainees, are also welcomed to apply.
Applicants with a range of training backgrounds are welcome e.g., clinical and counselling psychologists, counsellors, child psychotherapists, psychiatrists, nurse therapists, social workers, and GP’s. The course is not suitable for applicants who wish to acquire basic therapeutic skills.
How much?
£1250.00 training fee.
To book a place on this course please visit this page on our website.
Defeating Depression
View here
This ground-breaking new self-help book is based on Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT), a therapeutic approach being adopted by the government's nationwide Improved Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme, alongside Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. The author, Dr Roslyn Law, is one of the UK's leading authorities on IPT.
Defeating Teenage Depression
View here
This practical guide uses techniques based on Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Adolescents (IPT-A) which has been used to help children and young people with depression around the world. IPT-A helps you to develop your own story of what is happening in your life so that you can understand your depression and how to get out of it.