Interpersonal Psychotherapy Course: Level A

Psychiatry. Encouraging a healthier community.

This introductory Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) training course is open to any health care practitioners with an interest in psychotherapy or counselling, and strongly recommended for all mental health clinicians as well as those in primary care providing brief counselling. You will be equipped to conduct IPT at the end of the course.

Students and practitioners in training as well as experienced clinicians are welcome.

About Interpersonal Psychotherapy

Interpersonal Psychotherapy is an empirically validated treatment for a variety of psychiatric disorders. The evidence for IPT supports its use for a variety of affective disorders, anxiety disorders, and eating disorders, and for a wide range of patients from children and adolescents to the elderly.

IPT is recognised as an efficacious psychotherapy by the American Psychiatric Association, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence in the UK, and the International Cochrane Collaboration. It is also recognised by the Australian healthcare system. There are now over 250 empirical studies supporting the efficacy and effectiveness of IPT.

IPT is a time-limited psychotherapy that focuses on interpersonal issues, which are understood to be a factor in the genesis and maintenance of psychological distress. Interpersonal foci include grief and loss, interpersonal disputes, and role transitions, making IPT suitable for a wide range of problems. The targets of IPT are symptom resolution, improved interpersonal functioning, and increased social support. Typical courses of IPT range from 6-20 sessions with provision for maintenance treatment as necessary.

Outcomes

By the end of this course, you should be able to:

• conduct a course of IPT
• construct an interpersonal inventory
• construct an interpersonal formulation
• construct an interpersonal timeline
• list the critical elements of IPT
• describe the differences between IPT and psychodynamic psychotherapy.

Content

This course covers the following topics:

• IPT theory
• evidence of efficacy
• initial phase of IPT
• middle phase of IPT
• role transitions
• grief and loss
• interpersonal disputes
• conclusion of IPT
• maintenance treatment with IPT.

Delivery style

Upon enrolment, you will be given access to a pre-course reading that gives you the necessary background information of interpersonal psychotherapy.

During the two-day training, a wide range of teaching methods will be used, including didactic presentations, interactive small group activities, case studies, and video reviews. Through hands-on activities, you will learn how to construct an interpersonal inventory and formulation, an interpersonal timeline and an interpersonal conflict graph. You will also learn how to apply specific IPT techniques in therapy and provide continuing maintenance treatment.

IPT certification

At the conclusion of the two-day training, you will be given a workshop post-test to complete. Participants who complete the post-test will receive IPT Level A certification from the Interpersonal Psychotherapy Institute. Opportunities will be provided for ongoing supervision individually and in groups.

Title: Interpersonal Psychotherapy: A Clinician’s Guide (2nd Edition)
Authors: Scott Stuart, Michael Robertson
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 9781444137545
Publication Date: 31/08/2012

A copy of Chapter 3 of this textbook, The Structure of Interpersonal Psychotherapy, will be included in the course materials for this IPT training.