Written by Heather McCurdy, M.S., CCC-SLP, CBIS
Heather provides in home speech therapy services in Northwest IN, and virtual services for the IN residents.
Have you had a traumatic brain injury (TBI) or are you a speech-language pathologist (SLP)? Then this is for you!
How can I give myself/ my patients the best possible prognosis?
The Resilience Theory is something on which I educate my patients because of its impacts on prognosis; it assist with positively re-wiring the brain. The Resilience Theory is a SKILL SET (not personality traits) that no matter how horrible an event, the lack of control you had over your accident, and the road to recovery, there are families and individuals who rise above and overcome.
→ You ARE capable of learning (or teaching) these skills– keep reading for more information.
What are these skills?
Belief systems that include:
Making meaning out of adversity. Has this accident allowed you the opportunity for experiences you wouldn’t have otherwise had, people you wouldn’t have met (either a care team or a support group), or the ability to re-focus on what’s important to you?
Maintaining a positive outlook.
Having an inherent spirituality. This is a great opportunity to practice your faith if you are a person of faith!
Family organization which includes
The capacity to change. Your family/ support systems ability to change and adapt (i.e. avoid blasting music, dimming lights, writing information down to later refer back to, providing reminders, etc.)
An integral and supportive connection between family members
The willingness to use social resources. Support groups are available for both the patient and their care partner! This is a great opportunity to share struggles and encouragements and know you are not alone.
Communication strategies
Clear
Emotionally open
Take a collaborative approach to problem solving (i.e. how are we going to get mom to her speech therapy appointments?)
Other encouraging words
→ Struggling during rehabilitation is NORMAL. Sometimes it can be helpful to track progress more objectively on a graph to identify increment progress. An SLP can help you objectively measure your progress related to your cognitive communication. The goal is an upward trajectory or continued improvement, however, everyday will not be better than the last.
→ Focus on strengths rather than deficits. Each individual and family has strengths– use them to your advantage! Let your therapist know those strengths so they can be used in therapy sessions.
→ Embrace an optimistic and future-oriented outlook.
An SLP can help with deficits in attention, short-term memory, executive functioning and information processing. If you don’t feel *quite* the same as prior to your accident, speech therapy can help!
SLPs, I've included a handout about Resilience Theory that can benefit you with your patients.
Heather McCurdy is the owner and speech-language pathologist (SLP) at Mindful Speech Therapy. She is particularly passionate about those who sustain traumatic brain injuries and strives to provide functional, meaningful and relevant treatment.
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