Bespoke Members
Introduction
This webinar will focus on how we can make the most of the elective techniques within Interpersonal Psychotherapy. These methods - communication analysis, decision analysis, role play, and deliberate practice -are the craft tools that bring IPT to life in the room. They help us move beyond formulation and into application. They equip the people you work with in therapy with the “how” of change: making patterns visible, supporting choice, developing new skills and rehearsing new ways of relating.
We will look at how each technique can be used purposefully rather than mechanically—when to use them, how to pace them, and how to match them to the person’s goals and readiness for change. We will also consider common therapist dilemmas—how to stay collaborative while guiding, how to work with ambivalence, and how to promote authentic rather than generic communication.
By the end of this webinar, you will have practical strategies to refine your use of these methods and ideas for deliberate practice in supervision.
The event will be equivalent to 2.3/4hrs of CPD.
Content
This half-day webinar designed to deepen your confidence and flexibility with elective techniques in IPT. We will explore how these tools can strengthen your focal work, your supervision conversations, and your fidelity to IPT. You will see how elective methods naturally unfold across the therapy phases, from early assessment through to ending well.
Clinical demonstrations of Communication Analysis, pausing to unpack the intention behind each step, notice missed opportunities, and consider alternative pathways a therapist might take will be included. This will then expand into Decision Analysis, looking at how to work with ambivalence in a way that moves beyond simple pros-and-cons lists. A second demonstration will show what this looks like in practice, including the use of decisional balance.
We also reflect together on how to judge readiness for change while maintaining a collaborative stance, before shifting into the practical world of role play in IPT- how to move from reflection into rehearsal with thoughtful script development.
We will troubleshoot around common challenges and invite each participant to identify one elective skill to practise and bring back to supervision.
We will close with a Q&A and reflective summary to help you integrate the learning into your ongoing IPT work.
Learning Objectives
By the end of the half-day webinar, participants will be able to:
1. Select and apply elective techniques purposefully within IPT, matched to the person’s focus, readiness to change, and therapeutic phase.
2. Use communication and decision analysis to deepen interpersonal understanding and support adaptive decision-making.
3. Facilitate emotional expression and regulation safely within IPT, balancing empathy, containment, and collaboration.
4. Integrate deliberate practice methods into supervision and self-development to strengthen fidelity and skill precision in IPT delivery.
Training Modalities
This training will be a combination of didactic teaching, Q&A, reflections from participants in the chat, polls, videos and live demonstration.
Key References
Chow, D. L., et al (2015) The Role of Deliberate Practice in the Development of Highly
Effective Psychotherapists. Psychotherapy, Vol. 52, No. No. 3, 337–345.
Weissman, M. M., Markowitz, J. C., & Klerman, G. L. (2018). The Guide to Interpersonal Psychotherapy: Updated and Expanded Edition.
McLeod (2021) How Students Use Deliberate Practice During The First Stage of Counsellor Training. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 22:207–218. DOI: 10.1002/capr.12397
Stuart et al (2023) Collaborative decision making improves interpersonal psychotherapy efficiency: A randomized clinical trial with postpartum women. Journal of Affective Disorders, Vol 14, December 2023
About the presenter
Dr Roslyn Law is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Honorary Professor at UCL. She works as an IPT practitioner, supervisor and trainer at Anna Freud, London, where she is the lead for IPT training across the lifespan. She was the author of two IPT self-help books, the IAPT Curricula for IPT practitioner and supervisor training, and was chair of the curriculum review for IPT-A training in CYP-Psychological Therapies. She has used IPT in a number of clinical and research settings, including primary care with anxiety and depression, schools, and in specialist services for eating disorders, post-traumatic stress, sexual health and children and families. Dr Law has also trained in CAT, EMDR, Exposure therapy and CBT for trauma.
Who should attend
This half-day workshop is suitable for those who have completed IPT practitioner accreditation. The workshop is open to recently qualified and more experienced staff looking for a refresher.