Cognitive Remediation Therapy (CRT)
Cognitive remediation therapy (CRT) is a set of techniques designed to teach ‘thinking skills’ and can be thought of as a form of cognitive rehabilitation. It involves training in a set of tasks designed to improve cognitive abilities and social functioning. The domains targeted depend upon client need, but might include attention, working memory, planning, and executive function. CRT has been studied most often in schizophrenia/psychosis, but also in other conditions such as anorexia nervosa. Patients with schizophrenia show cognitive deficits in executive functioning, verbal fluency, and distractibility (Wykes & van der Gaag, 2001). Patients with anorexia nervosa have difficulties in set shifting tasks which is believed to correspond to cognitive inflexibility / rigid thinking seen in this client group (Tchanturia, Davies, & Campbell, 2007).
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Intervention
- Cognitive remediation for anorexia nervosa manual download archived copy
- Group cognitive remediation therapy for adolescents with anorexia nervosa – the flexible thinking group download archived copy
- The Cognitive Remediation Therapy (CRT) Resource Pack for Children and Adolescents with Feeding and Eating Disorders
downloadarchived copy - UaB Home stimulation program download archived copy
- CogSMART download
Presentations
- Cognitive remediation work in anorexia nervosa | Tchanturia | 2017 download archived copy
- Developing CIRCuiTS – pros and cons for service users, clinicians and researchers | Reeder | 2012 download archived copy
- Enriching life skills through cognitive enhancement therapy | Franczak, Lippy, Meek, Chern, Miller | 2017
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Recommended Reading
- McGurk, S. R., Twamley, E. W., Sitzer, D. I., McHugo, G. J., & Mueser, K. T. (2007). A meta-analysis of cognitive remediation in schizophrenia. American Journal of Psychiatry, 164(12), 1791-1802 download
- McGurk, S. R., Twamley, E. W., Sitzer, D. I., McHugo, G. J., & Mueser, K. T. (2007). A meta-analysis of cognitive remediation in schizophrenia. American Journal of Psychiatry, 164(12), 1791-1802 download
- Tchanturia, K., Lounes, N., & Holttum, S. (2014). Cognitive remediation in anorexia nervosa and related conditions: a systematic review. European Eating Disorders Review, 22(6), 454-462 download
- Tchanturia, K., Doris, E., Mountford, V., & Fleming, C. (2015). Cognitive Remediation and Emotion Skills Training (CREST) for anorexia nervosa in individual format: self-reported outcomes. BMC psychiatry, 15(1), 53. download
- Wykes, T., & van der Gaag, M. (2001). Is it time to develop a new cognitive therapy for psychosis—cognitive remediation therapy (CRT)?. Clinical psychology review, 21(8), 1227-1256 download archived copy
What is Cognitive Remediation?
Components of CRT Programs
Wykes and van der Gaag (2001) categorize some of the components and features of CRT programs.
| Type of intervention | Shaping behavior through reinforcement
Changing the environment Practice alone Dyadic teaching Scaffolding |
| Target of intervention | Specific task performance
Specific cognitive strategy (e.g., use of planning) |
| Type of outcome | Neuropsychological test performance
Social functioning Symptom level |
| Medium of training | Individual treatment
Group treatment Computerized training Paper and pencil tasks |
References
- Tchanturia, K., Davies, H., & Campbell, I. C. (2007). Cognitive remediation therapy for patients with anorexia nervosa: preliminary findings. Annals of General Psychiatry, 6(1), art. 14. doi.org/10.1186/1744-859X-6-14
- Wykes, T., & van der Gaag, M. (2001). Is it time to develop a new cognitive therapy for psychosis—cognitive remediation therapy (CRT)? Clinical Psychology Review, 21(8), 1227–1256.