I joined the Spain Rehab speech department in 2005 as a new speech therapist. I spent many years working with a variety of diagnoses. However, since our facility transitioned to a service line delivery model five years ago, I have primarily worked with the TBI population. I’ve always had an interest in working with the TBI population, because it means entering into the recovery process of individuals after they’ve experienced a catastrophic life event. It’s a privilege I don’t take lightly, to be present as milestones are met and life starts returning to normal.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) refers to damage to the brain caused by an external physical force sometimes seen with a car wreck, fall, sports-related accident, or assault. A TBI is not caused by internal factors such as a stroke or tumor, and it does not include brain damage that results from prolonged lack of oxygen. […]