IPC for University Counseling Centers
Condition: Depression
MeSH terms: Depression
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Interpersonal Counseling (IPC) is brief, structured modification of Interpersonal
      Psychotherapy (IPT). IPC was developed as a brief triage manual to treat depression in
      primary care, family practice and non-mental health programs, and work and educational
      settings. College and university students are at the age where first episodes of depression,
      bipolar disorder, or psychosis may occur. IPC is relevant for this population as many
      university students' distress are related to profound life changes, role transitions,
      loneliness and social/cultural isolation, which are focuses of treatment in IPC. While there
      is considerable evidence for the efficacy of IPT and IPC, this adaptation for university
      students has not yet been studied. The investigators propose to administer IPC to across
      several college campuses, and to recruit 20 participants at each counseling center.
      Participants will receive 3-6 one-hour therapy sessions, and will complete self-report
      measures of depression, psychosocial functioning, college adjustment, and treatment
      satisfaction. IPC has the potential to reduce depressive symptoms and prevent presenting
      symptoms from worsening. For these reasons, developing and testing a brief, yet comprehensive
      psychosocial intervention for distressed college students has tremendous importance.
    

Detailed description: 
      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.
    

Intervention name(s): Interpersonal Counseling for University Counseling Centers
Intervention type(s): Other
Intervention description(s): Interpersonal Counseling (IPC) is a brief version of Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT). IPC synthesizes the fundamental IPT principles into 3-6 sessions. Individuals receiving IPC are initially assessed for symptoms of depression, and then encouraged to identify interpersonal problem areas which may be contributing to their presenting symptoms.
Other intervention name(s): IPC-C
Intervention model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Other
Keywords: Interpersonal Counseling