IPC for University Counseling Centers

Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) is a short term, evidence-based treatment approach that has
shown benefits in treating major depressive disorder as well as other psychiatric conditions.
IPT focuses on the patient's current life events, including social and interpersonal
functioning, as a means of understanding and treating maladaptive symptoms. Interpersonal
Counseling (IPC) is a modification of the Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) protocol.
Subsequently, IPC was developed as a brief intervention for depression to be used in primary
care, family practice and non-mental health programs, educational and work settings. IPC is a
treatment approach ready for dissemination and implementation by non-mental health workers
who have direct contact with individuals at risk for depression and other pathologies. IPC
has been used for efficient training, for preventative and screening purposes in doctor's
offices, schools, community based centers and organizations.

IPC synthesizes the fundamental principles of IPT into 3-6 sessions. Individuals receiving
IPC are initially assessed for symptoms of pathology, and then encouraged to identify
interpersonal problem areas which may be contributing to their presenting symptoms. The key
principles and techniques standard to IPT are also applied in IPC, so that the protocol can
act not only as an assessment tool, but also as a brief intervention. After identifying an
interpersonal problem area, the IPC clinician works with the client to mobilize social
support and rehearse more effective communication strategies. Once the IPC protocol is
completed, clinical decisions can be made regarding clients' need for follow-up psychotherapy
or alternative referrals.

Over the last decade, college and university counseling centers are reporting that students
are seeking psychiatric services under more distress and with more severe disorders.
College-age students are generally at increased risk for experiencing psychopathology; they
are at the age where first episodes of depression, bipolar disorder, or psychosis often
occur. Secondly, college students are often away from their social and family networks for
the first time, and may experience less instrumental social support when experiencing periods
of psychological distress. To date, most college counseling centers conduct psychological
assessments of students presenting for services and provide supportive counseling, often for
a finite number of sessions due to the heavy volume of student referrals. For these reasons,
it is important to have a brief, yet comprehensive protocol for screening and intervening
with distressed college students. Such protocols should be structured and accessible to
implementation by a range of professionals: clinical social workers or psychologists,
practicum students and interns training in these fields. IPC, a systematic, brief evaluation,
support and triage approach may help university counseling centers in both their treatment
and intervention.

Inclusion Criteria:

- 18-40 years old

- Currently receiving counseling at one of the study locations

- Adjustment disorder with depressed mood or mild to moderate depression which
correlates with a Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) score of 5-14.

Exclusion Criteria:

- Pregnancy.

- Non-English speaking

- Poses a significant risk for dangerousness to self or others, or suffers from a
concomitant medical or psychiatric comorbidity that makes the study protocol
inadvisable (i.e., post-traumatic stress disorder, autism, psychotic disorder, bipolar
I or II disorder, eating disorder, alcohol or substance abuse or current use)