IPT: choosing the focus
The session that makes the rest of the treatment possible: the inventory, the sick role, one problem area, and an explicit contract she agrees to.
Interpersonal PsychotherapyfoundationalSession 3 of 16 · Interpersonal formulation~50 min
What you are practising
- 1Give the sick role in a way that relieves rather than diminishes
- 2Complete an interpersonal inventory efficiently
- 3Choose one problem area and decline to choose two
- 4Deliver the interpersonal formulation aloud and obtain agreement
- 5Keep the focus outward, not on the therapy relationship
Briefing
Where you are
Session 3 of 16. Sessions 1 and 2 covered the diagnostic assessment and began the inventory. Today the formulation is delivered and the contract agreed — after which the middle phase can begin.
The four problem areas
| Area | Indicated when |
|---|---|
| Grief | Symptoms began around a death and mourning has not completed |
| Role dispute | Non-reciprocal expectations with a significant other |
| Role transition | Symptoms follow a life change |
| Interpersonal deficits | Longstanding isolation with no acute precipitant — the weakest, use last |
The case
Rosa Delgado
34, she/her, primary school teacher, lives alone
Persistent grief nineteen months after her mother’s death, with insomnia and withdrawal.
Read the full case firstThe phases
- 1
The sick role
Relieve the secondary suffering.
- 2
Completing the inventory
Enough relational detail to choose a focus.
- 3
The formulation and the contract
Say it aloud. Obtain explicit agreement.