The information in this program outline is provided by the program representative and edited by the CEBC staff. The Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) program has been rated by the CEBC in the area of: Depression Treatment (Adult).

• Child Welfare Outcome: Child/Family Well-Being
• Types of Maltreatment: Does not target any specific kind of maltreatment
• Target Population: Adults with depression. The program is also designed to treat the children of a depressed parent.

IPT is a time-limited and manual-specified psychotherapy developed initially for patients with major depressive disorder, but later adapted for other disorders and tested in numerous clinical trials. Designed for administration by trained mental health professionals, it can also be taught, with adaptations, to less trained health workers. IPT has been used with and without medication. IPT is based on the idea that the symptoms of depression have multiple causes. The onset of depressive symptoms is usually associated with a trigger in the patient’s current personal life. IPT helps the patient to identify and learn how to deal with those personal problems and to understand their relationship to the onset of symptoms. There are three phases:

1. The diagnostic and problem identification phase where a formulation and treatment contract are made;
2. Identification of the problem area(s): grief, disputes, transition, or deficits, which is the focus of the middle phase;
3. Termination.