Approaches to social skills training

This is the first of three articles which describe some ideas which have been developed by us during the years in which we have been engaged in social skills training. By social skills training we mean, ‘Any form of training which is designed to help people understand themselves, learn about how others see them, and make choices about their behaviour’. It therefore covers a variety of activities where, for example, trainees might engage in role play interviews, building toy brick towers whilst others analysed their behaviour, or exploring their relationships with one another in a group. The three topics covered by these articles are firstly the spectrum of approaches to social skills training, secondly, the management of feedback and finally the qualities required of the social skills trainer.