The Invisible Injury Series: The Counselor's Role in Identifying and Treating Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (7.5 total CEs)

Series Description:

Mild traumatic brain injury and post concussion syndrome often go undiagnosed due to unsought medical care, inconclusive screening or scans, and poor societal education regarding causes and effects of mild TBI. It is likely that a counselor could be the first professional sought by a client suffering from the effects of mild TBI, making recognition and referral to other disciplines invaluable. It is imperative that mental health counselors work together with other related professionals, such as speech-language pathologists, in the treatment of individuals with TBI as the cognitive deficits associated can affect performance, communication, emotional regulation, relationships, and occupation. By approaching treatment of mild TBI as a team, addressing cognitive deficits and related psychosocial and emotional impact, this will facilitate their ability to achieve ultimate outcomes and mitigate barriers to treatment by either discipline.

Overall Learning Objectives:

1. Identify symptoms and assess for mild TBI.

2. Learn strategies for working with clients with mild TBI. 

3. Learn appropriate content and methods of providing educational counseling to families and others (e.g. communication partner competencies).

4. Learn appropriate interprofessional referrals and how to participate in continuum of care.

5. Identify appropriate steps and recommendations for return to school for adolescents with mild TBI. 

6. Participants will receive practice in identification of mild TBI and appropriate recommendations through presented case studies.

About the Presenters:

Brian Smith is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor at Coalesce Mental Health in Boise, Idaho. Brian attended graduate school at Idaho State University and earned a Masters of Counseling in May of 2014. He completed an internship at the Boise Vet Center, where he gained experience in working with couples, veterans with PTSD, and comorbid instances of mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) and TBI. Brian currently works with adolescents and adults in individual, couples, and family settings, with a clinical focus including anxiety and depression, trauma, and relationship distress within a systemic framework. Brian maintains a caseload including clients with mild TBI and routinely participated in interprofessional collaboration with SLP providers for these clients.

Brian has served as President of the Idaho Mental Health Counselors Association, and Idaho Counseling Association. Since 2014, he has presented in academic settings, and at state and national conferences for both counselors and speech language pathologists on collaboration of care for clients with mild TBI in both the civilian and veteran community.

Shauna Smith, MS, CCC-SLP is a speech-language pathologist with a private practice - Element Communication & Rehabilitation offering telehealth services in Idaho and Oregon. She is the former Clinical Professor and Clinic Director at Idaho State University in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders. Prior to becoming a faculty member at ISU, Shauna was the primary SLP of an outpatient brain injury team for several years. She also provides supervision to graduate students in clinic working with adults with neurological disorders, and teaches the Medical Based Issues graduate course, preparing students to work in the medical setting. One of her primary areas of interest is the functional treatment of individuals with TBI, and she has presented at the state and national level on inter-professional collaboration when working with this population. Since 2005, Shauna has practiced in a variety of settings, including outpatient brain injury team, acute care, and outpatient and private practice clinics. She also spent 14 years training graduate clinicians in the university clinical setting working with the populations that are the focus of her own practice today. Shauna has a private practice, Element Communication & Rehabilitation offering telehealth services to adolescents and adults in Idaho and Oregon. Shauna has presented nationally, regionally, and locally as an expert on the topic of concussion/mild TBI and other rehabilitation related topics, with a functional, patient-centered focus. Shauna currently serves as the Executive Director of the Idaho Counseling Association.