Cognitive Remediation in a Residential Rehabilitation Setting

Impairment in cognition is a prevalent and functionally significant symptom in people with serious and persistent mental illness who reside in rehabilitative residential settings. Difficulties in information processing may limit the extent to which an individual with serious and persistent mental illness will be able to meet their personal recovery goals, thus indicating a need for specialized intervention. Cognitive remediation (CR) is a behavioral treatment that directly targets the cognitive skills that have been empirically linked to functional skills and community outcomes. Residential programs offer a therapeutic milieu that is amenable to integrating CR using the treatment parameters that have been identified in empirical studies as contributing to CR efficacy. This article describes potential barriers to CR implementation and how those barriers can be overcome—optimally supporting residents’ ability to learn the skills critical for meeting functional goals and for supporting personal recovery. [ Psychiatr Ann . 2015;45(3):126–130.]