COGNITIVE REHABILITATION

If you are experiencing difficulties in your daily life, such as problems with thinking, memory, fatigue, social interaction, mood etc., as the result of a neurological condition, treatment can make a world of difference.

Depending on the situation, treatment can help you:

• be more independent in your home
• return to work or school
• function more efficiently in these settings if you have already resumed your routine
• lift your mood
• improve relationships affected by injury and rekindle intimacy
• help your family have a better life.

Treatment usually includes several of the following components:

Education
If you are like most people, you don’t know what to do and how to get better. I’ll explain what is involved, and how cognitive rehabilitation can address your specific concerns.

Cognitive Retraining
The goal is to help you regain a function that has been compromised, such as memory. The training exercises are geared at fostering neuroplasticity, i.e. the creation of new connections between neurons, and, when possible, neuronal growth.

Compensatory Strategies
To the extent that a function cannot be completely regained, I will help you create strategies to compensate for the remaining difficulties.

Psychological Adjustment
Dealing with a neurological condition can be very challenging. The consequences of such conditions can damage a person's self concept and relationships and dramatically impact mood. I will work with you and your family to decrease stress, adjust to change, find new meaning to your life, and rekindle intimacy.

Behavioral Management
Sometimes neurological conditions cause changes in behavior. I will develop strategies to assist you and your family in managing difficult behaviors.

Family Training
In brain injury we say "the whole family gets the injury". I always hope that your family can come to treatment with you. It’s the best way for them to understand what is going on, to learn how to help you, and to learn how to help themselves navigate this stormy sea.

Life Skills Training
Here we focus on skills that will specifically assist you to manage the tasks of daily living.

Medication consultation
As problems are here stemming from a medical condition, medication can be an integral part of treatment. My role is to assess your cognitive, behavioral, and psychological progress, such as level of attention, of arousal/fatigue, sleep, mood etc.. so I can provide this information to your physician for medication management.