Speaking the Language of TBI | Brain Injury in Tribal Behavioral Health

Daniel Overton

Dates of Occurrence

Thursday, Nov 12, 2020 | Monday, Nov 30, 2020 | Thursday, Dec 3, 2020

Wednesday, Dec 16, 2020 | Thursday, Jan 7, 2021 | Wednesday, Jan 13, 2021

TIME: 3-4pm

CEUs Available: One (Free)

Learning Objectives

By the end of the presentation, participants will be able to:

• Identify symptoms and conditions that may be seen in BH that a brain injury affects, contributes to, exacerbates and/or creates.
• Describe possible alterations/additions and/or changes in approaches to address brain injury in the behavioral health process.
• Understand how the physical condition of the brain injury can translate to changes in behavioral health functioning.
• Distinguish between clinical approaches that incorporate the brain injured client to those that don’t and the advantages of the inclusion.
• Identify at least 3 potential resources available the the BH practitioner when encountering the brain injured client.

Goal of the Presentation

To examine the ways a brain injury can effect behavioral health interventions/treatments.

• To discuss ways to increase effectiveness of treatment by recognizing and incorporating brain injury into BH treatments.
• To compare and contrast treatment approaches
• To provide participants with innovative procedures that will aid in:
• Identifying brain injury in the assessment process
• Helping clients in identifying and understanding brain injury
• Incorporating brain injury symptoms/treatment in treatment plans
• To introduce resources available to the BH practitioners.

Abstract

While a brain injury is a physical injury it can complicate many issues related to behavioral health. A brain injury is occurring every 9 seconds in the US. Odds are that at least 10% of any BH caseload has a hx of brain injury and the odds are higher in the veteran population, AIAN population and SUD treatment or anyone with a IPV history. The majority of all brain injuries are considered “mild”. Most that receive such an injury will not seek treatment and, if they do, will often not receive any treatment. This translates to the client not being aware that some of the symptoms they are experiencing may be due to a brain injury. 5-15% of these individuals will have ongoing, chronic symptoms. These symptoms often present as the primary problems for which one is seeking BH treatment/intervention. Due to the organic nature of the condition the brain injured client will not respond to treatment in the same fashion as the non-brain injured client. In addition, many of the symptoms (such as distractibility poor memory, etc.) can make treatment difficult and other symptoms (such as impulsivity and poor judgement) can create additional barriers to sustained success. IN this presentation, the participant will be led to discover how and why a brain injury can complicate the BH process, tips and techniques to deal with brain injured clients and resources to aid them.