Research on the effectiveness of cognitive remediation programs is still in its early stages. The practice is still new, and more research is being conducted each year. A closer look at some studies shows that cognitive remediation therapy programs help people improve their skills in therapy. However, the ultimate goal of cognitive remediation therapy is to improve functioning at home, work and social situations.
According to an article in ISRN Rehabilitation, cognitive remediation techniques work best when paired with other support services. Just undergoing cognitive remediation therapy on its own was somewhat helpful, but improvements were not seen at long-term follow-up. The future of cognitive remediation may lie in the development of treatments that work in conjunction with vocational rehabilitation programs.
This same article reports promising outcomes with social cognition skills. This area of cognition includes the ability to function within and interpret social situations. Training in one area of social cognition can be helpful to other areas of social cognition. Benefits were even felt in cognitive domains that were not the focus of therapy. More research needs to be done to see how consistent this is across all cognitive domains.
Examples of Cognitive Remediation in Substance Abuse Treatment
Cognitive remediation activities can be done in a variety of ways. Many activities are set up as games or puzzles. These methods can easily be done within a substance treatment therapy session. For example, executive functioning includes reasoning and strategy skills. Training for these areas can be done using sorting, stacking and arranging activities.
Virtual reality is a newer technique being used to simulate social settings in cognitive remediation therapy sessions. Typical computer activities don’t provide the opportunity to interact in a realistic social way, which means that virtual reality can play a unique and crucial role in therapy. Simulation techniques immerse the person in the experience and create a real-time learning opportunity.
Many training activities are visual, but verbal skills are important as well. Verbal exercises could include memorizing a few seconds of music. Other exercises may involve teaching a person to distinguish between different recorded sounds or repeat verbal information.