Social Skills and Mental Health (Psychology Revivals)

<p>In the 10 years or so prior to original publication in 1978 new theories and discoveries in the social sciences had given a scientific basis and new impetus to the development of social skills training as a form of therapy. This book explores the progress made with this idea and gives practical guidance for therapists based on several years’ experience with the technique.</p><p>The book provides an account of the latest ideas at the time about the analysis of social behaviour – non-verbal communication social skill rules analysis of situations etc. The different techniques for training and modifying social behaviour – some old some very new – are described and compared with detailed accounts.</p><p>There is a careful critical review of follow-up studies of social skills training and other forms of social therapy on in-patients out-patients and volunteer subjects.</p><p>The second part of the book consists of a manual for assessing deficits and difficulties and for training in ten main areas of social deficiency such as observation listening speaking asserting and planning. A rating scale questionnaire and user’s booklet of training exercises is included.</p><p>The book should be of interest not only to psychiatric professionals – psychiatrists clinical psychologists psychiatric nurses occupational therapists – but to many others such as social and community workers teachers prison officers and lay people who may be interested in forming self-help groups either on their own or with professional guidance.</p>