The specificity of the different curricula used for training persons with s
chizophrenia in the wide spectrum of skills they need is both a strength an
d a limitation. By separately teaching skills for each domain of community
adaptation, clinicians using behavioral learning principles have overcome m
ost symptomatic and cognitive barriers to learning. It is axiomatic in beha
vior therapy that "you get what you teach"; hence it has been necessary to
adopt arduous training in many areas to bring about improvements in social
functioning (1).
Although social skills training has yielded excellent acquisition and durab
ility of skills, generalization to other domains of functioning has to be c
arefully programmed. One way to promote generalization is to teach persons
with schizophrenia a general social problem-solving method. In the modules
for training social and independent living skills produced by Liberman's UC
LA group, problem solving is embedded in two of the eight learning activiti
es for each skill area, which may account for the durability and generaliza
tion of skills reported in recent studies of the modules (2-4). Information
about the modules for teaching social and independent living skills is ava
ilable on the Web site of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Consultants at www.psy
chrehab.com.