In this episode, we talk about the ways brain injury, sustained in the context of trauma, can have longer-lasting effects than other mTBI’s, and why mental health providers are in an ideal position to help clients focus on cognitive health by teaching strategies to improve functioning. Join us as Dr. Beth Twamley demystifies how the strategies used in Compensatory Cognitive Training (CCT) and Cognitive Symptom Management and Rehabilitation Therapy (CogSMART) can help to address impairments in prospective memory, attention, learning and memory, and executive functioning. We hope you check out how this recovery-oriented approach can be incorporated into your practice to empower clients to make functional gains and improve their quality of life.

Dr. Twamley is a neuropsychologist and a Professor of Psychiatry at UC San Diego. Much of her work is based at the VA San Diego Healthcare System, where she is a VA Rehabilitation Research and Development Research Career Scientist and the Director of the Clinical Research Unit of the Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health. Dr. Twamley’s research has focused on cognitive training and other interventions to improve real-world functioning for individuals with psychiatric disorders, traumatic brain injuries, and other cognitive impairments. She has developed and evaluated Compensatory Cognitive Training (CCT) and Cognitive Symptom Management and Rehabilitation Therapy (CogSMART) with funding from NIH, VA, DoD, NSF, BBRF/NARSAD, and UC San Diego grants. These treatment manuals and other clinical materials are available at no charge on her website, www.cogsmart.com.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• http://www.cogsmart.com/ [18:40]
• https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIZPMnYv3RDIYFI7CETy7sA [18:45]
• https://deploymentpsych.org/COGSmart-Archive [19:50]

Calls-to-action:

Review webinar recording on CogSMART https://deploymentpsych.org/COGSmart-Archive

Access manuals on the CogSMART website: http://www.cogsmart.com/

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