Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment of Excessive Interpersonal Dependency: A Four-Stage Psychotherapy Model

This article describes a four-stage model for the cognitive-behavioral treatment of excessive interpersonal dependency. Stage 1 involves active guidance on the part of the therapist to help the client make small but immediate behavioral changes. Stage 2 attempts to enhance the client’s self-esteem through the use of cognitive techniques. Stage 3 builds upon the strengthened self-image to promote client autonomy through the use of problem-solving training, the Socratic method, and self-control strategies. Stage 4 uses relapse prevention strategies to reduce the likelihood that the ck’ent will behave in an excessively dependent manner in the future. In each stage, desirable outcomes that must be achieved before progressing to the next stage are described. Also, strategies are discussed for managing various impediments to client progress.