At the end of May, Pathways Serious Mental Illness Society hosted Dr. Todd Woodward for a special presentation on metacognitive training (MCT), including what it is and how it works in relation to cognitive remediation and medication.

Dr. Woodward spoke about how we all jump to conclusions and have similar brain processes that lead us to have cognitive biases. However, for people living with schizophrenia, these cognitive biases serve as a basis for their delusions. MCT serves to help people question their thoughts to critically evaluate and understand them and determine if they are based on biases to help people living with schizophrenia develop insight.

He also explained how MCT works differently than cognitive remediation, and how MCT can help people gain insight by building skills to evaluate and understand the origins of a particular thought or idea. Dr. Woodward walked viewers through examples from MCT training modules and introduced what research is currently happening in the area of MCT.

When Dr. Woodward first received a grant from the former Norma Calder Foundation (now BC Schizophrenia Foundation), he was so grateful for the support that he promised to create a world-class program of research for schizophrenia in the Lower Mainland. Today, Dr. Woodward leads the Cognitive Neuroscience of Schizophrenia Lab which is working to develop a better understanding of the symptoms of schizophrenia. Dr. Woodward was also one of the recipients of the BC Schizophrenia Society Foundation Gap Funding Award in 2020.

* The Blind Men and the Elephant Image from Climate Interactive