Fener Kalamış Cad. Belvü Apt. No: 75
K: 1 D:2 Kadıköy / İstanbul / Türkiye
Yol Tarifi Alın!                     

Interpersonal Psychotherapy IPT


I’m here, walking
Sometimes with light,
Sometimes with heavy burdens.
And there comes the time,
Burdens become very challenging
I look around,
I look for help,
A brother, a friend, someone who understands,
Who understands,
guides and heals
Until I gain my power
Let’s go together
And then
Then the life is mine again
The roads are mine...

Stress is an integral part of our life and, at a certain dose, it is a driving force that makes us more alert and more ready for what life brings. Sometimes, when overdose, it is a booster that we must overcome by struggling. This vigilance and elevation source often under control, sometimes overruns the tolerable limits, sometimes can be quite intense and can cause some problems by tearing us down. At this point, it is best to get support to get rid of this situation. This support may be sharing with a friend or friend who has experienced similar experience; it can also be in the form of a support from a person who can help and understand us. Sometimes the severity and effects of stress are intense, or the support received is not enough. At this point, the best thing to do is to get support from a professional. A professional is the person who will try to help by using various techniques in the direction of his professional know-how. These techniques may use psychotherapy methods or include medication use when necessary.

Psychotherapies are mainly aimed at providing individuals with new strategies to cope with stress. The main purpose of psychotherapy is; to be aware of the situation in which the individual is, to be able to identify the factors that lead to this situation, and to learn how to get there now and in the future. Although the main purpose is this way, each therapy school follows a different foundation and method to accomplish this aim.

Presenting different perspectives to the problems and using different strategies to overcome problems naturally reveal different therapeutic schools. There are also long-running psychotherapy methods that try to solve the current problem of the individual by finding the underlying dynamics of the present problem and there are also short-term psychotherapy schools that aim at correcting the thought system and behavior, leading only to the problem without focusing on the underlying causes. Others focus on creating awareness with experiences, or values. In general, unlike other psychotherapy schools which aim to make change by focusing directly on the individual, the focus of the Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) is on close relationships. IPT, aims to transform a person's relationships in order to cope with stress. In other words, IPT is a short-term psychotherapy that guides the individual to use their interpersonal support and resources for repair and development.

The most important life events that cause the stress are usually caused by the grief for loss, role transition, conflict or lack of general interpersonal skills. In case of a loss leads to intense sadness, a significant change in the flow of life, and a major conflict with a close person, the need for affinity and trust of the individual is increasing more and more. The individual who can reach the support and resources needed at such times can overcome the distressing situation and adapt to the ordinary course of life. However, from time to time, individuals may find it difficult to overcome this problem and feel the need for assistance because of their biological vulnerabilities, the severity and intensity of the problem, and their inability to access support resources. In such situations, the IPT therapist focuses on one or more of these problem areas that cause difficulties for the individual and helps repair the problem with special techniques.

The termination of an important relationship with someone in life or death of someone important or loss of job or current position may be a reason for mourning. Unlike other therapies, IPT aims not to forget the person who has been lost, but rather to strengthen the ties with him and to adapt to his absence. The moments of inability to meet with a close and important one causing stress lead to a focus on the problem area of conflict. When focused on this problem area; it is the basic aim to provide communication skills that will provide a repair in relationships. In difficulties at important turns such as divorce, starting school, adolescence, marriage, parenting, etc., the aim is to acquire the skills necessary for the individual to change roles and adapt to those left behind.

The IPT therapist guides and supports the individual using special techniques to develop new relationships in the external world, to strengthen existing relationships, and to receive help that they cannot receive.

IPT is a short-term therapy administered in the form of 12-16 sessions, once a week with 45-50 minutes each. However, this time can be shortened or increased according to the needs of the individual and possibilities. After the therapy is concluded, the therapist-patient relationship does not end completely. When required, the patient and the therapist concurrently go through the maintenance phase, where longer intervals are determined.

After all, various methods of psychotherapy, numbering around 200, are presented to people seeking support and help, and scientific studies have shown that only a few of them are effective. The efficacy of many methods is still controversial. Interpersonal Psychotherapy is an effective psychotherapy method which is shown to be effective in the scientific studies and which ranks among the first places in treatment guidelines.