Psycho-education interpersonal shortage

Almost everyone needs other people to feel happy. Humans are social animals and it’s very important to have relationships. For some people, depression is related to a reduced ability to enter into or maintain relationships.

When treating depression caused by a lack of interpersonal relationships, the coach or practitioner will carefully explore the relationships from your past to see what kind of relationships these were and how you have experienced them. By doing this, you will find out what your strengths and weaknesses are in regard to looking for and finding other people together.

Then you will find out what your expectations are regarding relationships. Are these expectations realistic or not? Unrealistic expectations can then be adjusted where necessary.

Finally, we will look at which skills need to be practised in order to improve your contact with another person. How to have a chat with someone or how to address someone, for example. We can practise these skills together through a role play.

Source: Keijsers, G. P. J., Van Minnen, A., Verbraak, M., Hoogduin, C. A. L. & Emmelkamp, ​​P., (2017). Protocol treatment for adults with psychological complaints, part 3.