Social Anxiety Disorder Treatment and Therapy Interpersonal Therapy for Social Anxiety Disorder Treating Social Anxiety Disorder With Interpersonal Therapy By Arlin Cuncic Arlin Cuncic Arlin Cuncic, MA, is the author of "Therapy in Focus: What to Expect from CBT for Social Anxiety Disorder" and "7 Weeks to Reduce Anxiety." Learn about our editorial process Updated on April 22, 2021 Medically reviewed Verywell Mind articles are reviewed by board-certified physicians and mental healthcare professionals. Medical Reviewers confirm the content is thorough and accurate, reflecting the latest evidence-based research. Content is reviewed before publication and upon substantial updates. Learn more. by Steven Gans, MD Medically reviewed by Steven Gans, MD Steven Gans, MD is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital. Learn about our Medical Review Board Print Maskot / Getty Images Interpersonal therapy (IPT) is a 12- to 16-week treatment program originally developed for depression. IPT was created by Gerald Klerman and Myrna Weissman in the 1980s. Interpersonal therapy has been shown effective in the treatment of eating disorders and depression in bipolar disorder. Given that one-third of patients with social anxiety disorder (SAD) do not respond to medication or cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), and because of the interpersonal nature of SAD, interpersonal therapy is now being considered as a potential treatment alternative. IPT is a highly structured treatment focused on the social context of mental health disorders. A major goal of treatment is to improve an individual's interpersonal functioning. Stages of Interpersonal Therapy IPT generally progresses through three phases consisting of weekly treatment sessions. Phase 1: (Sessions 1 - 3) During phase 1, your therapist will identify the interpersonal areas in your life that need attention. This includes taking an inventory of all the key relationships in your life, and the main areas of interpersonal difficulties, such as being socially avoidant or non-assertive. Phase 2: (Sessions 4 - 14) Your therapist will address the problems in your relationships. Phase 3: (Sessions 15 - 16) In the final phase, your therapist will discuss and review your progress and prepare you for the end of therapy. Areas of Intervention In the interpersonal therapy model of depression, four areas are usually addressed during treatment: interpersonal disputes, role transitions, grief, and interpersonal deficits. Below are the key aspects of each area. Interpersonal disputes: Your therapist will identify problems with communication and teach you problem-solving strategies for your relationships.Role transitions: Your therapist will help you find solutions to deal with problems in adapting to new circumstances.Grief: If grief over a death or another loss has played a role in your difficulties, it will be explored.Interpersonal deficits: Your therapist will help you to identify problems in the way that you relate to others. If you are lacking interpersonal relationships in your life, your therapist will use the relationship between you and him/her as a basis for exploring difficulties and will help you learn how to develop new relationships. Interpersonal Therapy for Depression Interpersonal Therapy Techniques Many IPT techniques are adopted from other therapies, such as psychoanalytic psychotherapy and CBT. Some of the techniques used by an interpersonal therapist are listed below. Clarification: Your therapist will help you figure out how your own misconceptions or biases are playing a role in your relationships, or how your thought or behavior patterns influence your interactions. Supportive listening: Your therapist will listen in a supportive way, without being judgmental or critical, to help you feel more comfortable and open up. Role-playing: You and your therapist will role-play interpersonal situations so that you can see them in a different way and also get practice. For example, you might role-play what happens when you try to make conversation with strangers. Communication analysis: This technique involves your therapist having you remember in detail a social interaction that you had that caused you emotional pain. In doing so, you and your therapist will identify any unhealthy patterns that are reinforcing your social anxiety. Encouragement of affect: Your therapist will help you express and manage your emotions to make changes in your life. Research on IPT for Social Anxiety Disorder Research into the use of interpersonal therapy with SAD is still in its infancy. In one small study of 9 patients with SAD, 78% were rated as having much or very much improved symptoms after treatment with IPT. Patients also gave concrete examples of positive changes after therapy, such as finding a new job, returning to school, or dating. In a critical review, interpersonal therapy was found to show better outcomes for SAD than psychodynamic psychotherapy, but lesser outcomes compared to cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). IPT for SAD has even been delivered through mobile devices (mIPT); however, findings show that interpersonal therapy delivered in this type of self-help format is less effective compared to mCBT. Although IPT appears promising as a treatment for SAD, much more research is needed. In particular, researchers have noted that interpersonal therapy may require further modification to make it applicable to anxiety disorders. Are you receiving IPT for social anxiety? Although the overall data supports the efficacy of CBT over IPT for social anxiety disorder, it may be a helpful option for you. A Word From Verywell Interpersonal therapy for social anxiety disorder is still in the early stages of being evaluated in terms of its effectiveness. However, this may be a promising form of treatment for you, particularly if you struggle with interpersonal conflict in addition to social anxiety disorder. Social Anxiety Disorder 1 Source Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Markowitz JC, Lipsitz J, Milrod BL. Critical review of outcome research on interpersonal psychotherapy for anxiety disorders: review: ipt for anxiety disorders. Depress Anxiety. 2014;31(4):316-325. doi:10.1002/da.22238 Additional Reading Bohn C, Aderka IM, Schreiber F, Stangier U, Hofmann SG. Sudden gains in cognitive therapy and interpersonal therapy for social anxiety disorder. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. 2013;81(1):177-182. doi: 10.1037/a0031198 Dagöö J, Asplund RP, Bsenko HA, et al. Cognitive behavior therapy versus interpersonal psychotherapy for social anxiety disorder delivered via smartphone and computer: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Anxiety Disorders. 2014;28(4):410-417. doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2014.02.003 Lipsitz JD, Markowitz JC, Cherry S, Fyer AJ. Open Trial of Interpersonal Psychotherapy for the Treatment of Social Phobia. American Journal of Psychiatry. 1999;156:1814-1816. Robertson M, Rushton P, Wurm C. Interpersonal Psychotherapy: An Overview. By Arlin Cuncic Arlin Cuncic, MA, is the author of "Therapy in Focus: What to Expect from CBT for Social Anxiety Disorder" and "7 Weeks to Reduce Anxiety." 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