Improve your relationships and lift your mood
Our relationships profoundly affect our mental health. When connections are strong and communication flows, we feel supported and resilient. When relationships are troubled—through conflict, loss, change, or isolation—we become vulnerable to depression and anxiety. Interpersonal Therapy recognises this fundamental truth and uses it as a pathway to healing.
At Clarity Psychology, our Melbourne psychologists use IPT to help people improve their relationships and communication, with powerful effects on mood and wellbeing.
What is Interpersonal Therapy?
Interpersonal Therapy (IPT) was developed in the 1970s by Gerald Klerman and Myrna Weissman, originally as a research treatment for depression. It’s based on the observation that whatever the origins of depression, it occurs in an interpersonal context—our relationships affect our mood and our mood affects our relationships.
IPT doesn’t assume that relationship problems cause depression, but recognises that addressing interpersonal issues can relieve depression regardless of its original cause. It’s a pragmatic, here-and-now approach that focuses on current relationships and communication patterns.
Unlike some therapies that extensively explore the past, IPT focuses on present relationships and practical changes. And unlike therapies that focus primarily on internal processes (thoughts, feelings), IPT recognises that we exist in relationship with others and targets those connections.
The Four Focus Areas of IPT
IPT identifies four interpersonal problem areas that are commonly associated with depression and anxiety. Treatment focuses on one or two of these areas most relevant to your situation:
1. Grief (Complicated Bereavement)
When someone important dies, grief is natural. But sometimes grief becomes complicated—it doesn’t follow its natural course, or it’s connected to an ambivalent or conflicted relationship with the person who died. IPT helps by facilitating mourning, exploring the relationship that was lost, and supporting the development of new relationships and activities.
2. Role Disputes
Role disputes occur when you and someone important to you have different expectations about your relationship. This might be conflict with a partner about household responsibilities, disagreements with a colleague about work roles, or struggles with family members about your choices. IPT helps by identifying the nature of the dispute, understanding each person’s expectations, and developing strategies for resolution or acceptance.
3. Role Transitions
Life involves constant transitions—becoming a parent, changing careers, retiring, divorce, children leaving home, illness changing your capabilities. Even positive transitions involve loss of the old role and adjustment to the new. IPT helps by mourning what’s been lost, recognising what’s positive about the new role, and building skills and supports for the transition.
4. Interpersonal Deficits
Some people experience depression in the context of social isolation or difficulty forming and maintaining relationships. This might involve never having developed social skills, losing confidence after depression, or life circumstances that have led to isolation. IPT helps by reviewing past relationships, identifying patterns, and building skills for forming new connections.
How Does IPT Work?
IPT is typically delivered over 12-16 weekly sessions and follows a clear structure:
Initial Phase (Sessions 1-3)
The opening sessions focus on understanding your depression and its relationship context. Your therapist will conduct an “interpersonal inventory”—a systematic review of your important relationships. Together, you’ll identify which interpersonal problem area(s) to focus on and develop goals for therapy.
Middle Phase (Sessions 4-13)
This is where the work happens. Depending on your focus area, you might explore feelings about a loss you haven’t fully processed, examine communication patterns that maintain conflict, work through the emotional challenges of a life transition, or practise social skills and plan ways to increase connection.
Your therapist will help you see patterns in your relationships, encourage you to express emotions, and support you in trying new ways of communicating and relating.
Termination Phase (Sessions 14-16)
Ending therapy is itself a transition. The final sessions consolidate gains, address any feelings about ending, and develop plans for maintaining progress. You’ll review what you’ve learned, identify warning signs of relapse, and consider what supports you’ll need going forward.
What Conditions Does IPT Treat?
While developed for depression, IPT has been adapted for various conditions:
Depression
IPT is one of the most evidence-based treatments for depression, recommended as a first-line treatment by major guidelines worldwide. It’s effective for mild, moderate, and severe depression.
Anxiety Disorders
Adaptations of IPT have shown effectiveness for social anxiety, panic disorder, and generalised anxiety.
Eating Disorders
IPT is an established treatment for bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder, where interpersonal issues often play a maintaining role.
Perinatal Mood Disorders
IPT is particularly well-suited for depression during pregnancy and postpartum, when relationship adjustments and role transitions are prominent.
Bipolar Disorder
IPT has been adapted (as IPSRT—Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therapy) for bipolar disorder, incorporating attention to daily routines and rhythms.
What to Expect in IPT Sessions
Active Focus
IPT sessions actively focus on your relationships and communication. Your therapist will ask about recent interactions, explore your feelings, and help you see patterns.
Emotional Expression
IPT encourages you to identify and express emotions, particularly those related to relationships. You might explore feelings you’ve been avoiding or learn to communicate feelings more effectively.
Communication Analysis
You’ll examine specific communications—what you said, what the other person said, what you were feeling, what you wished you’d said. This detailed analysis reveals patterns and opportunities for change.
Role Playing
You might practise difficult conversations with your therapist before having them in real life, developing skills and confidence.
Between-Session Work
While IPT doesn’t assign formal homework, you’ll be encouraged to notice patterns in your relationships, try new communication approaches, and perhaps have conversations you’ve been avoiding.
The Evidence for IPT
IPT is one of the most extensively researched psychological treatments. Key evidence includes: multiple randomised controlled trials showing IPT is as effective as antidepressant medication for depression, evidence that IPT can prevent relapse when used as maintenance treatment, demonstrated effectiveness across diverse populations and cultures, and strong evidence for perinatal depression, where IPT is often preferred to medication.
IPT is recommended as a first-line treatment for depression by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the American Psychiatric Association, and the Australian Psychological Society.
Is IPT Right for You?
IPT may be particularly helpful if your depression or anxiety seems connected to relationship difficulties, if you’re going through a significant life transition, if you’re dealing with complicated grief, if you feel isolated or struggle with relationships, or if you prefer a practical, time-limited approach focused on the present.
IPT is particularly appropriate when you can identify interpersonal issues connected to your difficulties. If your concerns are primarily internal (obsessive thoughts, trauma memories) rather than interpersonal, other treatments might be more suitable.
IPT at Clarity Psychology
Our psychologists at Clarity Psychology are trained in IPT and understand the profound connection between relationships and mental health. We provide a warm, supportive environment where you can explore your relationships, express your feelings, and develop the communication skills to build stronger connections.
If your mood is affected by relationship difficulties, grief, transitions, or isolation, IPT offers a proven path to relief.
Ready to improve your relationships?
Book an appointment and discover how working on your connections can transform your mood.
Related Treatments: CBT, Gottman Method Couples Therapy, ACT
