ABSTRACT

It is well established that depressive symptoms in adolescents are strongly associated with impairment of interpersonal relationships with peers, parents and teachers. The goal of social skills training is to improve the social interaction and social competence of young people. Social skills can be addressed at several different levels, from micro-skills such as appropriate eye contact to more complex skills such as being able to join in an activity or seek help from a teacher. Other social difficulties may be cognitive such as misperceiving others’ intentions or planning how to deal with a difficult situation. There is an extensive research literature exploring the effectiveness of targeted interventions with children with social skills problems, showing mixed results (Donovan and Spence, 2005). Readers seeking more extensive details of social skills training are referred to the Spence (1995) therapy manual.