Combs, M., Critchfield, E., & Soble, J. (2018). Relax While You Rehabilitate: A Pilot Study Integrating a Novel, Yoga-Based Mindfulness Group Intervention Into a Residential Military Brain Injury Rehabilitation Program. Rehabilitation Psychology, 63(2), 182-193.

The authors, Martha A. Combs, Edan A. Critchfield, and Jason R. Soble, examine a rehabilitation program aimed at veterans and active-duty service members that have traumatic brain injury (TBI). The program that they are analyzing is group-based and focuses on practicing mindfulness as a means of intervention. In the study, there were nineteen participants that tried out this program where yoga and mindfulness are taught. Of those nineteen, sixty-three percent of them have severe TBI. The study measured results using a questionnaire that is mixed method, questions about things like pain rating and psychological functioning, and self-reports about the beliefs of mindfulness. The results found that those involved reported the positive benefits that mindfulness had on certain areas of their life, like overall health. Based on the findings of this study, the authors of this article recommend that professionals working with patients who have TBI, especially veterans or those in the military, should implement mindfulness as a part of their rehabilitation journey. The authors suggest that future researchers should design their study in a way in which failure is minimized by making sure all paperwork is complete beforehand. This article is useful in showing the impact that mindfulness has on people with TBI, as well as looking into the veteran population with TBI.

Haarbauer-Krupa, J., Eugene, D., Wallace, T., & Johnson, S. (2023). Neurorehabilitation for the Uninsured: Georgia Rehabilitation Services Volunteer Partnership Clinic. American Journal of Speech-language Pathology, 32(2S), 817-826.

The authors, Juliet Haarbauer-Krupa, DaJuandra Eugene, Tracey Wallace, and Susan Johson, examine an outpatient rehabilitation program that is free for people that are uninsured with acquired brain injury (ABI). In order to make it free for those that are uninsured, there are volunteers there to help out clients. The organization also got help by partnering with donors and eleven organizations to gain financial support. The clients that come to this organization are unemployed (either as a result of ABI or from losing their job when COVID-19 happened) and because of this need certain resources like transportation. In this study, there were forty clients that were able to have access to mandatory healthcare services. The results of the study found that it was beneficial to have a volunteer run rehabilitation program for those uninsured with ABI. Though, they did suggest that more information is needed to better recognize the influence on patient results. The article mentions future directions in which they are approaching things like exploring certain better platforms like telehealth. This article was useful as there will be people without insurance that have ABI, and understanding the effectiveness of such a program is helpful in helping those people out.

Howe, E. I., Løvstad, M., Langlo, K.-P. S., Hellstrøm, T., Spjelkavik, Ø., Ugelstad, H., Twamley, E. W., Andelic, N., & Khaiyat, O. (2019). Feasibility of a cognitive rehabilitation program for individuals with mild-to-moderate traumatic brain injury: Participants’ engagement and satisfaction. Cogent Medicine, 6(1), 1–9. https://doi-org.proxy.lib.odu.edu/10.1080/2331205X.2019.1565614.

The authors, Emilie Isager Howe, Marianne Løvstad, Knut-Petter S. Langlo, Targier Hellstrøm, Øystein Spjelkavik, Helene Ugelstad, Elizabeth W. Twamley, and Nada Andelic, examine a cognitive intervention program meant to help people with traumatic brain injury (TBI). The program focuses on individuals with mild-to-moderate TBI. To test the effectiveness of the program, there were six participants that participated for ten weeks doing a group-based type of intervention called Compensatory Cognitive Training (CCT). CCT focuses on addressing the cognitive symptoms that are present in individuals with TBI by focusing on certain things like memory. Reducing stress levels is also a big part of the intervention process. The authors are assessing the participants’ overall engagement with the program by looking at things like their participation during the whole program. The participants will then have their feedback recorded as well as a therapist checklist. The results found from this study were that eight of the nine topics of the CCT were a 3.5 out 5 (5 being the most helpful). participation from participants either participated fully or moderately. The skills that the participants learned during the program was helpful as they tried to apply it into their everyday lives. The conclusion the authors of the article had was that the program was indeed feasible. For future research, a bigger sample size would be better. This article was useful in understanding the impact CCT had on those with TBI.

Keegan, L. C., Murdock, M., Suger, C., & Togher, L. (2020). Improving natural social interaction: Group rehabilitation after Traumatic Brain Injury. Neuropsychological Rehabilitation, 30(8), 1497–1522. https://doi-org.proxy.lib.odu.edu/10.1080/09602011.2019.1591464.

The authors, Louise C. Keegan, Macy Murdock, Caitlin Suger, and Leanne Togher, examine a group rehabilitation program with the aim of helping people with traumatic brain injury (TBI) manage communication difficulties that occur as a result of TBI. In order to examine the program, the study conducted involved six participants who had chronic cases of communication difficulties. In order to measure the outcome of the study, Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS) was used. GAS is a system that measures outcome goals on a five-point scale and is a popular tool for working with those who have TBI. The results from the GAS showed that the participants indicated improvement over the one-year period. The results of the study were that the program was effective for individuals with TBI, as it promoted the individuals to construct a positive identity. On average, participants of the study scored 3.087. The conclusion after this study is that the treatment performed by this program is a good alternative compared to other treatment services for people with TBI. For future research, a bigger sample size would be needed and other similar measures of change to validate the effectiveness of the approach tested. This article was useful in learning about the communication difficulties present in people with TBI.

Luzinat, K. J., Analytis, P., Hicks, A. J., Warren, N., & Ponsford, J. L. (2020). The experience of a recreational camp for families with a child or young person with acquired brain injury. Neuropsychological Rehabilitation, 30(2), 233–248. https://doi-org.proxy.lib.odu.edu/10.1080/09602011.2018.1461657.

The authors, Katrina J. Luzinat, Penelope Analytis, Amelia J. Hicks, Narelle Warren, and Jennie L. Ponsford, examine a recreational camp meant for children with acquired brain injury (ABI). The camp being examined is usually recommended by health professionals for children under twenty-one years of age. The camp usually gets around thirty volunteers that help out, and about fifteen of those people happen to be health professionals. The study being conducted asks the parents of these children about the camp itself and camp attendance, the positive and the negative. There were eleven parents that participated in this study. To conduct the study, the parents were interviewed at their house. The authors of this article were able to identify six different themes present from the interviews provided by the parents: acquired brain injury and family; feelings of concern and unease; building relationships and a sense of being part of a community; enjoyment, stress relief, and taking a break; optimism and a broader outlook; and the overall functioning of the family. The conclusion that authors make based on the results found are effective in supporting children with ABI, as they provide certain things like normality into the child’s life. For future studies it is recommended that children with ABI and their siblings should have things examined from their perspective. This article was useful in exploring the impact that certain programs like this camp have on children with ABI.

Markus-Doornbosch, F., Meesters, J., Volker, G., Ijzereef, W., Hout, W., Vlieland, T., & Kloet, A. (2022). The outcomes of a vocational rehabilitation and mentorship program in unemployed young adults with acquired brain injury. Work (Reading, Mass.), 72(2), 553-563.

The authors, Frederike van Markus-Doornbusch, Jorit J, Meesters, Gerard Volker, Wil A. Ijzereef, Wilbert B. van den Hout, Thea P. Vliet Vlieland, and Arend J. de Kloet, examine a vocational rehabilitation program for young adults that have acquired brain injury (ABI), both traumatic and non-traumatic. The program is a mentoring program with the goal of helping the targeted population gain employment. The program also includes training for jobs, an assessment done in the beginning, and individual counseling. In order to gain data for the study, participants received a questionnaire to fill out during a follow-up. For the study, forty-one participants completed the program being evaluated and nine participants left. The participants of the program participated for an average of eight months. The authors concluded that having a mentor help the targeted population was promising for those unemployed in the beginning journey of ABI. However, lack of financial means and other health issues were obstacles during the rehabilitation process and overall outcome.

McDonnall, M. C., Cmar, J. L., & Lund, E. M. (2020). Comorbid Traumatic Brain Injury and Visual Impairment: Vocational Rehabilitation Service Provision and Agency-Level Outcomes. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 114(1), 6–17. https://doi-org.proxy.lib.odu.edu/10.1177/0145482X19892033.

The authors, Michelle C. McDonald, Jennifer L. Cmar, and Emily M. Lund examine vocational rehabilitation agencies and their effectiveness with people who have traumatic brain injury (TBI), also considering those with visual impairments. In order to examine the effectiveness of these agencies for the target population, fifty-one of these agencies were interviewed which contributed to the data received. In the study, case service data was also evaluated with interview data. The results found that over a third of the agencies that were evaluated did not undertake any distinctive or unique efforts to cater to those with both TBI and visual impairment. There were some agencies that did have a particular process for those with just TBI. Though, some of the agencies did report that they did use within-agency and between-agency to serve people who had both TBI and visual impairment. Based on the findings, the authors recommend that these agencies should train the professionals to become well-versed in traumatic brain injury and visual impairments. For future studies, a multivariate analysis at the individual level should be included to establish connections between elements of service delivery and outcomes. This article was useful in exploring the effectiveness different agencies had on working with people with TBI and visual impairments, by seeing how many were actually helping their target population.

Thompson, M., Rabusch, S., Radomski, M. V., Marquardt, V., Kath, K., Kreiger, R., & Squires, K. (2022). Grace Notes: feasibility of a manualized intervention to advance spiritual well-being for clients with acquired brain injury. Journal of Health Care Chaplaincy, 28(4), 497–509. https://doi-org.proxy.lib.odu.edu/10.1080/08854726.2021.1929764.

The authors of the article examine a spiritual rehabilitation program for people with acquired (ABI) called Grace Notes. The goal of the program is to connect clients to a deeper spiritual well-being, as it can help with mental health. The authors want to study the effectiveness of a program like that for people with ABI. In order to do this study, data was collected from two different places (a community rehabilitation program and a hospital). Twenty-five of the participants were from the rehabilitation program while eight were from the hospital. They had those participants participate in Grace Notes. In order to examine the effectiveness of the program, data was collected by attendance and the completion of protocol. There were also little surveys involved to give more data. Four different measures were used for collecting data, an example being The Spirituality Index of Well-Being (SIWB). The results of the study found that out of the twenty-five participants eighteen of them finished posttest measures. The eight participants enrolled in the Stand-Alone group had a 100 percent attendance rate. The overall experience of the program was positive based on the eighteen participants that finished Grace Notes. The authors of this article do note that further studies of spiritual well-being and ABI intervention is warranted. This is a helpful article in understanding how spirituality can be helpful for someone with ABI that may be going through mental health struggles.

Watter, K., Kennedy, A., McLennan, V., Vogler, J., Jeffery, S., Murray, A., Ehlers, S., & Nielsen, M. (2022). Consumer perspectives of vocational rehabilitation and return to work following acquired brain injury. Brain Impairment, 23(2), 164–184. https://doi-org.proxy.lib.odu.edu/10.1017/BrImp.2021.4.

The authors of the article “Consumer perspectives of vocational rehabilitation and return to work following acquired brain injury”, examine a vocational rehabilitation program for people with acquired brain injury (ABI), which includes traumatic brain injury (TBI), and see the individuals’ experiences with attempting to get back to work. For the study being conducted, the participants that are being analyzed are living in a certain community. The rehabilitation program that the participants were a part of was Skills To Enable People and communitieS (STEPS). The study had eight participants that participated in two individual interviews and two focus groups that asked about their experiences regarding their rehabilitation experience. The results of the study being conducted were that participants had both positive and negative experiences with the rehabilitation program and their ability to return back to work. Of the eight participants, four of the participants were able to get paid employment and one individual was self-employed. The other two were doing certain activities like volunteering while one participant was still doing the rehabilitation program. During this procedure, five certain areas were also identified: educational efforts, providing services, establishing connections with employers, support within the workplace, and mentoring by peers. The findings from the study will help professionals better address the needs of their clients. For future research, a bigger sample size and participants who recently acquired brain injury is recommended. The article was helpful in understanding the struggles that people with ABI face when trying to get back into the workforce.

Williams, L. M., & Douglas, J. M. (2022). It takes two to tango: The therapeutic alliance in community brain injury rehabilitation. Brain Impairment, 23(1), 24–41. https://doi-org.proxy.lib.odu.edu/10.1017/BrImp.2021.26.

The authors, Liz M. Williams and Jancinta M. Douglas, examine the effectiveness of a rehabilitation program for people with traumatic brain injury (TBI). The program being evaluated is a state program that is publicly funded. In order to conduct this study, three pairs of participants participated in this study. Of the pairs, one was an adult who had TBI and finished the rehabilitation program and the other was someone close to the person with TBI (e.g. a parent). In order to collect data for the study, rehabilitation participants had their medical files reviewed and everyone was interviewed about the rehabilitation journey. The results of the study found that there were three different themes present when looking at the participant’s experience: acknowledgment of individuality, collaborating as a team, and experiencing a personal sense of connection. The results of the rehabilitation were remarked as being predominantly positive, especially since a therapeutic alliance was involved. The authors of this article concluded that having a therapeutic alliance is important between the person with TBI and the person close to them. For future research, getting data from additional people with TBI and the people close to them would be beneficial to clinicians. This article was useful in understanding the importance of alliances during the rehabilitation process for people with TBI.