A metacognitive remediation group-approach for people with schizophrenia: The metacognition-oriented social skills training (MOSST)

Paolo Ottavi, Manuela Pasinetti, Raffaele Popolo, Giancarlo Dimaggio

Accepted April 30, 2021

First published April 30, 2021

https://doi.org/10.26387/bpa.290.4

Abstract

In this paper we will describe the metacognition-oriented social skills training (MOSST), a 16-session program for patients with schizophrenia. MOSST aims to improve patients’ understanding and social action skills through a systematic training of their metacognitive functioning. Through a series of tasks – both observation and description of social scenes and role-playing exercises – patients learn to understand both their own and others’ mental states underlying behavior in various domains of interpersonal experience. The paper will illustrate the structure of MOSST, the target social skills, its different tasks as well as a series of techniques aimed at maximizing the expression of metacognitive functioning. Among these, there is a certain type of communication – called mentalizing communication – used to make the mental states of the conductors extremely intelligible, accessible and transparent, thus enhancing the participants’ abilities to understand and reflect on the mental states of others and, consequently, on their own. In addition, methodological principles and methods of performing role-plays are illustrated in detail from a metacognitive perspective. Finally, the results of feasibilityand outcome research studies will be described to support the usefulness of applying MOSST with both out- or in-patients suffering from schizophrenia.

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Ottavi Paolo. Pasinetti Manuela. Popolo Raffaele. Dimaggio Giancarlo. A metacognitive remediation group-approach for people with schizophrenia: The metacognition-oriented social skills training (MOSST). BPA Applied Psychology Bulletin. 2021;290(1):35-44. doi:10.26387/bpa.290.1.

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Author Surname Author Initial. Title. Publication Title. Year Published;Volume number(Issue number):Pages Used. doi:DOI Number.


Ottavi Paolo. Pasinetti Manuela. Popolo Raffaele. Dimaggio Giancarlo. A metacognitive remediation group-approach for people with schizophrenia: The metacognition-oriented social skills training (MOSST). BPA Applied Psychology Bulletin. 2021;290(1):35-44. doi:10.26387/bpa.290.1.