ABSTRACT
Until recently, depressive disorders have been treated primarily using individual therapy. The depressed client presents for therapy or someone close to the patient facilitates the initial contact with the therapist. From that point forward, the depressed client and the therapist are left to their own devices to resolve the depression. The people with whom the depressed client most commonly interacts are not included in therapy. For many clients, this approach is relatively successful. The treatment outcome literature to date has provided evidence for the efficacy of several treatment approaches based on individual therapy strategies. These include pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy (e.g., Bellack, Hersen & Himmelhoch, 1983; Kovacs, 1980; Kovacs, Rush, Beck, & Hollon, 1981; Weissman, Prusoff, DiMascio, Neu, Goklaney, & Klerman, 1979; also see Stein-brueck. Maxwell, & Howard, 1983).
