This study examines the effectiveness o f an activity group, structured discussion group, and control group on the social interac tion skills of 25 individuals with psychiatric disabilities. Bivariate analysis revealed that the individuals participating in the activity group demonstrat ed significant improvement in scores in comparison to no significant changes in scores of participants in the structured discussion group or the control group. Findings suggest that activity groups are more conducive to improving social interaction than structured discussion groups or control groups (no treatment) fo r individuals with severe psychiatric disabilities.Involvement in a variety of social situa tions is an inevitable part of each indi vidual's life. The ability to interact appropriately and effectively in social situations has been described as social competence (Dobson, McDougall, Bushekkin, &Aldous, 1995;Donohue & Liberman, 1992). Adults who have se vere psychiatric disabilities, especially schizophrenia, often have difficulty in teracting in social situations (Dobson et al, 1995;Hayes, Halford, & Varghese, 1995;Wilson, Diamond, & Factor, 1990). In fact, one of the primary nega tive symptoms o f schizophrenia is social dysfunction (American Psychiatric Association, 1994Association, ,1997. ARTICLES Three types of groups have been used to promote skills, including social func tioning, in individuals with a psychiatric disability: unstructured verbal groups; structured discussion groups; and activ ity groups. Unstructured verbal groups most closely resemble group psy chotherapy (Duncombe & Howe, 1985; Stein & Tallant, 1988). They may use role-playing to foster discussion but have no predetermined structure or topic. Structured discussion groups have a set topic or agenda (e.g., use of leisure time) and use verbal discussion to address the issue. These groups have also been defined as topical groups 349This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers.This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly.