Interpersonal Adjustment of a Homosexual Adult: Enhancement via Social Skills Training

In this study, a homosexual adult male received social skills training consisting of modeling, instruction, and behavior rehearsal in controlled multiple baseline fashion to increase his ability to deal with the positive and negative behavior of other gay persons with whom he interacted. Additionally, the subject made detailed recordings of his in vivo interactions with others before and following the intervention to assess generalization from training. Treatment resulted in: (1) improvement in objective behavioral components of social skills during roleplayed interactions in the clinic setting, (2) substantial increases in the frequency and quality of his in vivo interactions pre- and posttraining, and (3) more favorable self-reports of social skill. Issues related to social skills training for certain homosexual clients are discussed.