The Psychological Care of People Who Present with Significant Challenges of Behaviour and Emotion Following Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

Abstract

Abstract The longer term, post-acute rehabilitation of moderate – severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) generally requires a multi-disciplinary team approach to patient care. Reasons for this are the range of post-TBI difficulties, as well as the complex interaction between these. There are many established, as well as emerging, approaches or models of psychological care in brain injury rehabilitation. Each of these have particular strengths but a universal limitation to most is their failure to address all, or at least most, of the common post-TBI difficulties patients experience. Furthermore, even approaches purporting to target all TBI-related difficulties, frequently fail to do so as part of an integrated approach. One of the key skills in clinical neuropsychology is formulation. Formulation ties together all aspects relevant to an individual’s rehabilitation, not only as regards psychological aspects, but also physical, social and spiritual aspects. As a result, neuropsychological formulation functions as a transdisciplinary ‘bridge’ to better understand and support people with TBI who present with more complex difficulties, for example affecting both behaviour and emotion. Keywords: Formulation, Multi-disciplinary, Neuropsychology, Neurorehabilitation.