Metacognitive and interpersonal interventions for persons with severe mental illness: theory and practice

Communication and interpersonal deficits are major stumbling blocks that stand between persons with severe mental illness (SMI) and such recovery goals as quality of life (QoL) and community integration. Not only do these deficts have a direct and negative impact on the QoL and community integration of persons with SMI but they also may reduce these persons' ability to take advantage of major interventions in which communication and interpersonal relationships play a central role (i.e., psychotherapy, recovery programs, illness management and recovery). Recent theories of schizophrenia and other SMI attribute these communication and interpersonal limitations of persons with SMI to impairments of metacognition (i.e., empathy, theory of mind [ToM], mind reading). Within a dialogical framework of metacognition that differentiates between empathy and ToM, this paper reviews two interventions for persons with SMI, Metacognitive Training (MCT) and Social Cognition and Integration Training (SCIT), that were recently developed to improve communication and interpersonal skills of persons with schizophrenia. These interventions are based on the above described theories of schizophrenia and SMI. Although preliminary research has produced favorable results for these interventions, additional investigations using more critical research designs are required to establish their efficacy. Furthermore, this paper suggests that adding dialogical elements to these interventions might improve their effectiveness.