At the end of May, Pathways Serious Mental Illness Society hosted Dr. Todd Woodward for a special presentation on metacognitive training (MCT), what it is, and how it works in relation to cognitive remediation and medication. Dr. Woodward spoke about 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 of their delusions. MCT serves to help people question their thoughts to critically evaluate and understand their thoughts to determine if they are based on biases, and helping 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 also walked viewers through examples from MCT training modules and introduced what current research is happening in the area of MCT.

When Dr. Woodward first received a grant from the then 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 that 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