Principles and Techniques of Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Adolescent Depression

Drs. Mufson and Young begin by explaining the theoretical rational for Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) for depression and the conceptualization of depression in an IPT framework. They describe the integral techniques of interpersonal psychotherapy for depressed adolescents, beginning with assessment. They also summarize the research supporting the efficacy of IPT with depressed adolescents. Lastly, they demonstrate the core components of IPT-A through role-plays and demonstrations. Techniques demonstrated in this workshop include identifying problem areas, focusing on current relationships, focusing on the interpersonal nature of the adolescent's problems, and teaching the adolescent skills to master the interpersonal context of depression.