A Pilot Study of Affect-Focused Psychotherapy for Antepartum Depression

Logically, psychotherapy should be the first-line treatment for depression during pregnancy, yet there have been very few nondrug interventions tested in this patient population. The present study examines the impact of affect-focused psychotherapy as a treatment for antepartum depression. The treatment model was thought to be feasible to test with this population because depressed pregnant women are in need of an integrative model that can engage the client quickly and work rapidly to reduce symptom distress. Participants were 10 pregnant woman women with major depressive disorder who were treated with five sessions of affect-focused psychotherapy, as outlined in a published treatment manual. All therapy sessions were videotaped Results indicate that participants experienced significant improvements in depressive symptoms, as well as increased therapeutic alliance and patient-therapist bond These preliminary results provide promising data that demonstrate the effectiveness of a short-term (Five-session) affect focused psychotherapeutic treatment with a patient population suffering from antepartum depression.