Integrating Consultation Into Social Skills Training: Implications for Practice

Abstract

Social skills training interventions have been used extensively for remediating interpersonal deficits of children and adolescents. These interventions represent an essential component of school curricula for at-risk and handicapped students, and have been incorporated into treatment programs for youngsters receiving services in psychiatric hospitals or clinics, residential facilities, and correctional institutions. As the degree of specialized knowledge necessary to effectively implement social skills training programs increases, the need for consultation services becomes more acute. Specific functional relationships among child characteristics, target behaviors, and interventions, for instance, must be analyzed with respect to ecological parameters and constraints. In this article, I discuss the use of consultation for conceptualizing and implementing social skills training with youngsters. Integrating consultation into social skills training requires developing a dynamic and collaborative relationship with practitioners. Current issues and misconceptions pertinent to social skills training are proffered in order to enhance consultant's role as problem solver and to ensure treatment integrity. This article also delineates the nexus among assessment information, target behavior selection, and intervention factors that are considered essential for providing comprehensive and effective social skills training.