Acquired Brain Injury and Persistent Concussion Symptoms

Every person who sustains brain injury or a significant concussion(s) is unique and the impacts on their cognitive, emotional, behavioral and/or physical functioning are also unique. Personal histories and relationship dynamics contribute to the severity of outcomes a person experiences. In addition, there are secondary impacts of these injuries that can be devastating. Role changes, reduced quality of relationships or social isolation, grief and loss, and changes to an individual’s sense of self are common outcomes that may become apparent only after the acute care or physical rehabilitation period has ended.

Both the individual and the people who care about them may struggle to negotiate these complex outcomes. As such, rehabilitation for these injuries is an ongoing process. Psychological adjustment and re-integration to community and previous roles are necessary tasks. The process of re-visioning one’s identity, roles, goals and relationships, can feel daunting. However, with support, individuals, couples and families may create a future where the injury is no longer the centre of their story.

Our welcoming, safe space allows clients and family members to openly discuss their brain injury experiences, including stroke or concussion, and the far-reaching impacts of these events. With an understanding of the larger context within which the brain injury occurred and the outcomes of the injury, itself, clients are supported to identify barriers to wellness, develop new perspectives that support healthy coping, learn strategies, build competencies and modify or set new goals to enhance quality of life.

Those who may benefit from support: Individuals who have sustained a brain injury, including stroke, or significant concussion(s) with lingering symptoms; family members/care givers negotiating the impacts of a brain injury; couples in which one partner has experienced a brain injury; those who are learning to parent a child with a brain injury.