The Cognitive Rehabilitation and Educational Skills Training Program is a full-fledged, state-approved secondary school operated by Hartford Hospital. The psychiatric program at Hartford developed the program to assist its recovering patients rehabilitate and make their way into the world as better functioning adults. Students usually have failed to succeed in traditional schools including special education programs with highly structured academic settings. The CREST program requires school district referral. It focuses on the emotional, behavioral and motivational issues particular to patients with psychotic disorders.
The occupational therapy program at Quinnipiac University has cognitive remediation specialist Barbara Nadeau on staff, who incorporates her knowledge into her courses and instruction. Nadeau has experience working with psychotic and developmentally challenged populations and has used cognitive remediation in her practice. Quinnipiac University in Hamden offers a Masters of Science in Occupational Therapy, which includes a variety of clinical focuses and applications --- including psychiatric and cognitive rehabilitation.
The Clinical Neuroscience Research Unit at the Connecticut Mental Health Center in Hartford receives state money to research schizophrenia, depression, mania, development disorders, anxiety, stress and drug and alcohol addiction. One of its mandates is to offer professional education to health care and education professionals in Connecticut. Accordingly, it offers courses on cognitive remediation to health care professionals and educators who work with the mentally ill, and those attempting to refocus their lives after bringing an illness under control. It also works with a network of health care providers to review and evaluate the effectiveness of cognitive remediation as a treatment.
The Yale University School of Medicine teaches future practitioners about cognitive remediation. As of February 2011, psychiatry professor Morris D. Bell is an on-staff expert who researches and instructs about rehabilitative techniques and therapies for those with severe mental illness. In his other position as Senior Research Career Scientist for the Dept. of Veterans Affairs Rehabilitation Research and Development Service, Dr. Morris studies the use of cognitive remediation for helping patients succeed in vocational education and function successfully in the workplace.