Therapies
Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) for Addiction and Mental Health Treatment
Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) is a highly effective, evidence-based treatment approach that focuses on improving interpersonal relationships to alleviate psychological distress and promote recovery from addiction and mental health disorders.
IPT helps individuals build healthier relationships, enhance social support, and achieve lasting recovery by addressing the interpersonal issues that contribute to maladaptive behaviors and emotional difficulties.
Interpersonal Pyschotherapy at Burning Tree Ranch
Burning Tree Ranch is a specialty program dedicated to the treatment of chronic addiction and mental health. Our program is long-term, progress-based, and highly intensive.
During the residential treatment episode, we shine a light on how a client’s unhealthy behavioral patterns may promote a sense of separateness in their relationships, leading to a deterioration in mental health. Interpersonal psychotherapy helps our clients rebuild relationships with loved ones and establish new relationships with a healthy support group of peers.
What is Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT)?
Interpersonal Psychotherapy, or IPT, is a time-limited, structured therapy that was initially developed to treat depression. The core premise of IPT is that psychological distress and mental health issues often stem from difficulties in interpersonal relationships.
The Key Principles of Interpersonal Psychotherapy
- Focus on Interpersonal Relationships: IPT centers on improving interpersonal relationships and communication patterns to alleviate symptoms of mental health disorders.
- Time-Limited and Structured: Typically conducted over several weeks, IPT follows a structured format to address specific interpersonal issues within a limited time frame.
- Identification of Problem Areas: Therapy focuses on one or more of four key areas: grief, role disputes, role transitions, and interpersonal deficits.
- Symptom-Interpersonal Relationship Link: IPT emphasizes the connection between symptoms and interpersonal problems, aiming to improve mental health by addressing relational issues.
- Active and Directive Approach: Therapists actively guide sessions, offering strategies and techniques to resolve interpersonal issues.
- Goal-Oriented: The therapy is focused on achieving specific goals related to improving interpersonal functioning and reducing psychological symptoms.
“In a long-term setting like Burning Tree Ranch, the same behaviors that bring our clients into treatment will ultimately be revealed to the community. From here, we can have an honest look.”
Dr. Leslie Secrest, Medical Director/Psychiatrist
Treating Chronic Addiction Through the Exploration of Interpersonal Relationships
Persons suffering from chronic addiction often feel isolated and alone.
For the chronic relapser, relationships are generally near an all-time low by the time they reach Burning Tree Ranch. This circumstance can lend to a greater sense of hopelessness for the chronic relapser and family.
At Burning Tree Ranch, IPT helps us shine a light on how a client’s unhealthy behavioral patterns may promote a sense of separateness in their relationships, leading to a deterioration in mental health. Utilizing interpersonal psychotherapy, we help our clients rebuild relationships with loved ones and establish new relationships with a healthy support group of peers.
Benefits of Interpersonal Psychotherapy in Addiction and Mental Health Recovery
Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) offers significant benefits for addiction and mental health recovery. This approach helps improve communication and relationship skills to build stronger, supportive connections that aid recovery and teach practical strategies for managing stressors and conflicts.
Learning to navigate and resolve interpersonal issues develops positive emotional regulation, reducing the likelihood of using substances to cope with stress and hardship.
IPT also fosters personal growth by promoting greater self-awareness, helping individuals understand how their relationships impact their mental health and addictive behaviors.
Combining Interpersonal Psychotherapy with Other Therapies
Interpersonal psychotherapy is just one of several addiction treatment therapies to help our clients mend and rebuild relationships. We use it in conjunction with other therapies to help the chronic relapser achieve freedom from the cycle of relapse.
Like many therapeutic modalities, interpersonal psychotherapy can be used to treat a variety of mental health disorders, not just substance abuse problems.
Explore Other Therapies we Use to Treat Addiction at Burning Tree Ranch
Interpersonal Psychotherapy in a Long-Term Treatment Setting
By incorporating IPT into our long-term treatment program, we provide our clients with the time, support, and guidance they need to address deep-seated interpersonal issues, build healthier relationships, and develop the skills necessary for lifelong recovery.
We understand the complex, multi-faceted issues many of our families face when it comes to addiction. The circumstances of long-term residential treatment allow us to create a treatment program unlike anything else in the world.
Our promise to families is to deliver life-changing clinical interventions to those who have been unable to find freedom from the unending cycle of relapse.
