Theraverse
.
May 15, 2025
Imagine knowing what you want to say but freezing when it’s time to speak. Or misreading a friend’s body language and walking away thinking they’re upset, when they were simply tired. For many individuals living with mental health disorders, navigating the social world can feel like being dropped into a conversation mid-sentence, missing the context, unsure of the rules, and anxious about getting it wrong.
Social interaction is often taken for granted, yet it’s a complex harmony of verbal and non-verbal cues, empathy, timing, and confidence. Mental health conditions like schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorder, social anxiety, and even depression can significantly disrupt a person’s ability to engage effectively in this harmony. This is where Social Skills Training (SST) steps in, not to teach people how to be “socially acceptable,” but to equip them with the tools to express themselves authentically, connect meaningfully, and navigate relationships with more ease.
In this article, we’ll explore the what, why, and how of social skills training in the context of mental disorders.
What is SST?
Social Skills Training (SST) is a structured, evidence-based therapeutic intervention designed to help individuals improve their interpersonal abilities. It focuses on teaching specific behaviors such as making eye contact, initiating conversations, interpreting social cues, handling conflict, and expressing emotions appropriately. It helps them build practical skills to better connect with others in ways that feel safe and authentic.
SST is particularly valuable for individuals whose mental health challenges interfere with everyday social functioning. This includes people with:
- Schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, who may struggle with social withdrawal or misinterpretation of social cues.
- Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), where difficulties in understanding and responding to social norms are a core challenge.
- Social Anxiety Disorder, where fear of negative judgment can inhibit interaction.
- ADHD, which may impact impulse control and listening skills.
- Depression, which can cause social disengagement and reduced communication confidence.
How does it work?
SST typically involves a combination of the following core components:
- Skill Identification: Pinpointing which social skills the individual needs support with, such as assertiveness, empathy, or conflict resolution.
- Modeling: Therapists or facilitators demonstrate the desired social behavior in a realistic scenario.
- Role-Playing: Clients practice the skill in structured role-play scenarios, often within a group or one-on-one setting.
- Feedback: Immediate, supportive feedback helps individuals refine their approach, understand the impact of their behavior, and build insight.
- Reinforcement: Positive reinforcement such as verbal praise/ encouragement, or behavior shaping, is used to boost confidence and motivation.
- Generalization: Clients are supported in applying these skills to real-life situations, often with assigned practice tasks or journaling.
Why do we do this?
At the heart of mental well-being lies connection, the ability to relate to others, to feel seen, heard, and understood. For individuals living with mental health challenges, this basic human need can become one of the hardest to fulfill. Not because they lack the desire to connect, but because their condition may disrupt the skills required to do so. Social Skills Training (SST) addresses this gap. It provides a safe, supportive space for individuals to relearn how to engage with others, not by pretending to be someone they’re not, but by gaining the confidence and tools to express who they truly are.
Social Skills Training has proven to be a valuable tool in mental health care, offering structured and evidence-based methods to support individuals in navigating complex social environments. For many, it can lead to improved confidence, reduced isolation, and more meaningful interpersonal connections, factors that are critical to long-term recovery and psychosocial functioning.
However, a growing number of clinicians and neurodiversity advocates have raised valid concerns that SST, especially when used with individuals on the autism spectrum or with other neurodevelopmental conditions, can sometimes reinforce neurotypical norms at the expense of authentic self-expression. By framing certain social behaviors as “deficits” to be corrected, rather than differences to be understood and accommodated, SST can risk invalidating the lived experiences of neurodivergent individuals.
This tension highlights the need for a more neurodiversity-affirming approach, one that respects diverse communication styles, challenges the dominance of neurotypical standards, and centers the individual’s goals, values, and autonomy. In practice, this means shifting from a model of “fixing” to one of collaborative support, helping individuals build skills not to conform, but to navigate the world in ways that are empowering and aligned with their identities.
As the field evolves, integrating the strengths of SST with the insights of the neurodiversity movement offers a more ethical, inclusive, and person-centered path forward in mental health care.
By,
Jensita Grace.
In-house Psychologist, Theraverse
.
Resources:
https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/social-skills-training-for-severe-mental-disorders/251112064
