What Is Interpersonal Therapy?

Personal relationships tend to be complex. Therefore, it is normal for us to have difficulties managing them properly and for conflicts to arise that ultimately affect our mental health. In order to tackle these as best as possible, interpersonal therapy was developed in 1969.

It was Gerald Klerman and Myrna Weissman who discovered a new way of delivering therapy by relating each patient’s illness (depression, low self-esteem, anxiety) to the psychosocial context in which he lives.

This therapy often focuses on major depressive disorders, although it can now be used to treat other conditions as well. Benefits include resolving interpersonal conflict, coping with grief, or overcoming depression.

How does interpersonal therapy work?

This type of therapy targets depression, eating problems, or other disorders that originate from poor management and a poor approach to interpersonal relationships. One can discover certain common methods behind it, such as psychoanalysis, cognitive behavioral therapy or humanism.

However, interpersonal therapy is unique and does not fall under any of these areas. The mechanisms targeted by this therapy are the patient’s symptomatology, the conflicts he has, and the interpersonal relationships he maintains.

• Symptomatology.  The patient may feel sad, have very low self-esteem, don’t feel like doing what he or she used to be so passionate about, have a total lack of motivation, and so on.
• Conflicts. There are conflicts that are very obvious, such as having an annoying boss, a harmful relationship, or contact with a toxic family.
• relationships.  Emotional dependence, inability to set boundaries, not knowing how to express one’s desires and not knowing how to cut off relationships that only cause damage.

The process of interpersonal therapy

Once all these issues have been identified, the process of interpersonal therapy can begin. To this end, an introductory meeting must be conducted. This allows the professional to diagnose and find out what is wrong with the person in question.

The therapist then elaborates on all of these issues. If the patient has a deep depression, he may need pharmacological treatment (Spanish link) in addition to the interpersonal therapy he is receiving. In some cases this can help.

The evolution of each individual will determine the number of sessions necessary and their frequency. The professional will make the necessary changes to adjust the therapy so that there is a noticeable improvement.

When is interpersonal therapy a good idea?

Interpersonal therapy is helpful when there are conflicts in relationships that cause a lot of discomfort. It is normal that you do not have the resources to adequately manage them, which is why psychological therapy is so necessary.

This form of therapy is also helpful when a loved one dies. Dealing with grief is complicated and can plunge the bereaved into a deep depression. Therefore, this remedy can help with the grieving process.

We can also mention relationship problems that result from poor communication, lack of boundaries, negative relationships, and so on. This form of therapy can treat and solve all these problems, which will provide very useful resources not only for the present moment, but also for the future.

When you suffer from depression and nothing has helped so far, interpersonal therapy can make a big difference. Medications alone will not help to overcome this life-limiting problem. Therefore, it is a very useful form of therapy.

What are the results?

After undergoing this type of therapy, the most obvious outcome is that the patient will feel much better. Someone may not be completely out of their depression yet, but this is a very long way. Still, in the short term, someone will be more eager to do things. He or she will find motivation where it previously seemed to have disappeared.

Something very important worth mentioning is that relationships will be much healthier . The way a person interacts with others will be different. They have more resources to manage conflict, set boundaries and find solutions to various interpersonal problems. In addition, a person will find it less difficult to break free from toxic people.

When should you see a professional?

You should go to a professional trained in interpersonal therapy if other types of therapy don’t work. You should also do this if you have problems in relationships, even if you consider them unimportant. The improvement will be really noticeable.

Feeling sadder than usual, having problems at work, not fitting in with someone, having trouble coming out of depression and so on. These are all reasons enough to seek this kind of help. There’s no reason to keep feeling bad, and there’s nothing wrong with asking for help.

Laziness, as some say, or the cost of therapy are all common excuses. But investing in this type of therapy will be the best thing you can do to get out of depression and improve interpersonal relationships, now and in the future.