With summer vacation just around the corner and the rain tapping against the windowsill, I thought I’d write a few lines before I take two weeks off. My body is tired, filled with a mix of emotions related to endings, changes, and looking ahead. My youngest graduated almost three weeks ago, and I am (hopefully) in the final stages of some long-term projects. It’s interesting to tune into the experience of what we go through when working with the focal area role transition in IPT and what it does to us. So many feelings… Such a process… life huh..
Something else that has been in the works for a long time, specifically since the pandemic, and recently took a step forward is Myrna Weissman’s and Jennifer Mootz’s book, “Interpersonal Psychotherapy: A Global Reach,” which is finally ready for publication. The book, which can be ordered from Oxford University Press, can also be downloaded for free at the following site: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/interpersonal-psychotherapy-9780197652084?cc=us&lang=en&I&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0apBV7EaX99ikbNAUTqzK9U3UY-gQCCuNjGnnI_xh-Sw4qEyQ65We0fNs_aem_05_Vws0QwKnvaHottIotRQ
This new book on IPT covers 31 countries and a number of new adaptation. It shows that the global use of IPT is truly impressive. For those of us who had the honor to attend the conference in Newcastle this spring, we had the opportunity to hear Myrna and Jennifer discuss the creation of their book and the comprehensive areas it covers to illustrate the spread and utility of the method. Heather Flynn then asked everyone in the room who had contributed to the book’s content to stand up. The feeling that filled the room as one after another stood was stronger than the climax of a truly gripping Hollywood film from the ’80s. 🙂 Pride and a sense of unity that I will probably never forget!
Myrna has often been asked about how IPT was invented . You can read more about it in one of the following articles:
Weissman MM. Interpersonal Psychotherapy: History and Future. Am J Psychother. 2020 Mar 1;73(1):3-7. doi: 10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.20190032. Epub 2019 Nov 22. PMID: 31752510. (This article goes to 2019 and now…)
Weissman, M. M. (2006). A brief history of interpersonal psychotherapy. Psychiatric Annals, 36(8). https://doi.org/10.3928/00485713-20060801-03
Now that you know which book to bring to the hammock for the coming weeks, I wish you a fantastic summer!
