In Vivo Amplified Skills Training: Promoting Generalization of Independent Living Skills for Clients with Schizophrenia

In Vivo Amplified Skills Training, IVAST, functions to bridge the gap between clinic-based skills training and use of social and independent living skills in everyday life for persons with schizophrenia and other serious and persistent mental illness. IVAST utilizes a specialist case manager who provides individualized, community based teaching using behavioral techniques to promote clients' use of skills that were learned in classroom group sessions. The IVAST trainer also liaises with the client's psychiatrist and other clinic-based staff, family members, and community agencies to create opportunities, encouragement and reinforcement for the client's independent use of skills in the community. The aim of IVAST is to accelerate autonomous functioning of persons with mental disabilities in the community and thereby reduce their dependency on case managers and other therapists. To the extent that IVAST can empower clients to solve their own problems and attain their personal goals, enduring improvements in social role functioning and quality of life should ensue. A controlled study of IVAST has documented improvements in social adjustment when behavioral learning techniques are employed in the community settings of the clients. An IVAST case study is presented to illustrate the community-based use of medication management, symptom management, and social problem solving in the attainment of personally relevant goals. Obstacles to success of IVAST may derive from deficits in personal motivation, family involvement, community support, financial resources, premorbid functioning, and medication compliance.