Personal Computers in Psychiatric Rehabilitation: A New Approach to Skills Training

A rehabilitation program called the Learning Center provides computer-assisted instruction to patients with long-term psychiatric illnesses. Clients in the program, located at a New York State psychiatric facility serving a mostly minority, low-income population, are enrolled in either a vocational component that teaches advanced computer applications or a general education component to improve basic math, spelling, vocabulary, and grammar. Participants work at their own pace to achieve mastery of material. They have shown unusual enthusiasm about the program, as evidenced by high attendance rates, ability to concentrate and sustain interest in tasks, acquisition of skills, and favorable perceptions of the program. Computer-assisted instruction offers persons with chronic mental illness the potential to compensatefor cognitive and motivational problems that interfere with learning.