"It was just realizing ... That life isn't one big horror": A qualitative study of supported socialization

This report describes the qualitative component of a large-scale study of s upported socialization. Paralleling the recent advances made through suppor ted housing, supported employment, and supported education, this approach s eeks to increase the involvement of individuals with psychiatric disabiliti es in naturally occurring social and recreational activities in community s ettings of their choice. After a review of social relationships and psychia tric disability, we describe the Partnership Project and present findings f rom a series of qualitative interviews conducted with a subsample of partic ipants. We then discuss the implications of these findings for the communit y integration of individuals with psychiatric disabilities.