Supportive and Interpersonal Psychotherapy Interventions - Essay Example

"Supportive and Interpersonal Psychotherapy Interventions" is a remarkable example of a paper on the disorder.
Psychotherapy is a general approach used to treat mental health problems by talking with a psychologist, psychiatrist, and other mental health professionals. There are several types of psychotherapy, each with its approach. The appropriate form of psychotherapy depends on the individual situation of a client. Supportive psychotherapy (SPT) and interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) are two widely used types of therapy used by the therapist for their client. SPT aims to improve symptoms and restore self-esteem and skill, while IPT aims to improve the quality of interpersonal relationships and social functioning (Wheeler, 2014). This article aims to compare and contrast these two forms of psychotherapy and provide a recommendation for the best option.

Similarities between SPT and IPT

Both SPT and IPT psychotherapy report some describable similarities. First, both therapeutic interventions use talk therapy with the provider acting as a mediator. Engaging the clients in a conversation for identification and discussion of the underlying problems to develop personalized solutions best fits the needs of the clients. Secondly, both SPT and IPT require clients to participate in the therapy process actively. In essence, the client's willingness to participate in the therapy sessions determines the success of either intervention. Finally, in both approaches, the clients are required to acknowledge the existence of a problem and be willing to discuss the problem and apply the developed solution and provide feedback for improving the adaptability of the solution as the need arises (Koszycki et al., 20120.

Differences between SPT and IPT

Despite sharing great similarities, both SPT and IPT are fundamentally different. The first difference is witnessed in the role of clients and therapists in the treatment processes. In supportive psychotherapy, the provider's role is that of a director to direct the clients and actively inform them what to do to solve their problems. In contrast, the client takes a passive role and follows the given instructions. At the same time, IPT assumes a passive role a gives the clients an active role to design and apply their solution while guiding them to follow an acceptable framework. Secondly, both SPT and IPT have distinct boundaries of treatment. For instance, SPT does not encourage therapists' and clients' therapeutic relationships outside the session, but the relationship is limited within the session.

In contrast, IPT allows a therapeutic relationship to extend even home or any other activity outside the scheduled sessions. Lastly, both approaches have different modes of application (Wheeler, 2014).In SPT, health care professionals act as role models for the clients while in IPT, they act as a guide to help the client interpret what is considered ideal.

Application of the Most Preferred Approach

Most PMHNPs prefer IPT to SPI because of its friendly approach and ease to use by the clients. The intervention can build a therapeutic relationship between providers and clients, thus help achieve the treatment goals. Poor interpersonal problems cause the most psychiatric condition related to emotions and behavior, and IPT can establish a strong relationship to help solve the problems. A study by Thompson (2016) revealed that IPT had a good response rate than SPT for patients with depression. Also, the retention rate of IPT was higher than SPT, with some women completing the full session of the assigned IPT compared to SPT. Finally, the supportive treatment largely ignores the client's perspective as compared to the interpersonal approach, making the success of the treatment hard. 

Conclusion

In summary, psychotherapy is the first-line treatment of mental disorders such as depression. The two approaches presented under the umbrella of psychotherapy have proven efficacy in treating these disorders. Both similarities and differences presented for both SPT and IPT are aimed to help the providers choose the most appropriate approach depending on the situation of the client.