Interpersonal Therapy — usually called IPT — is a structured form of talking therapy that focuses on your relationships and the impact they have on how you feel. The core idea is that the difficulties we experience in life rarely happen in isolation — they're often connected to what's going on with the people around us, and to changes or stresses in our social world.

How IPT therapy works

IPT is a relatively focused therapy. Rather than covering every area of your life, it works within a specific timeframe — typically around 12 to 16 sessions — and concentrates on one or two areas where things feel most difficult. This focused approach means that sessions tend to feel purposeful and grounded, with a clear sense of what you're working on and why.

The therapy generally begins with a period of assessment, where your therapist helps you map out your relationships and recent life events, and identify where the connection between those things and your current mood seems strongest. From there, the sessions focus on understanding those patterns in more depth and finding different ways of navigating them.

IPT works with four main areas of difficulty, any of which can have a significant effect on our emotional wellbeing:

Grief and loss — not just bereavement, but any significant loss that hasn't fully been processed. IPT looks at how unresolved grief might be affecting how you feel now, and helps you move through it at your own pace.

Role transitions — major life changes such as becoming a parent, retiring, ending a relationship, or starting a new job can shake our sense of who we are and where we fit. IPT helps you work through the adjustment and find your footing again.

Relationship conflicts — ongoing tension or unresolved conflict with someone important to you, whether a partner, family member, or colleague, can quietly wear down your mood over time. IPT helps you understand what's driving the conflict and explore whether and how it might be resolved.

Social isolation — feeling disconnected from others, or struggling to form and maintain meaningful relationships, can have a deep impact on mental health. IPT looks at what might be getting in the way and helps you build stronger connections.

What IPT therapy can help with

IPT was originally developed as a treatment for depression, and there's strong evidence for its effectiveness in that area. It's also used for anxiety, eating disorders, and difficulties around significant life transitions. Because it focuses on relationships and social context rather than thought patterns alone, it can be particularly useful for people whose difficulties seem closely tied to what's happening in their personal lives.

What to expect from IPT sessions

Sessions follow a fairly consistent structure, which many people find grounding. Because IPT is time-limited by design, there's a natural momentum to the work — you're not drifting from topic to topic but building on what's been covered from one session to the next. Most people find this clarity helpful, particularly if previous attempts at understanding their difficulties have felt a bit circular.