Cognitive Rehabilitation
Cognitive rehabilitation is a short-term, skill-building therapy used to treat challenges with cognition or thinking. It is an evidence-based practice shown to build and strengthen pathways in the brain and make thinking tasks easier.
Cognitive Challenges
Cognitive challenges may involve memory, attention, communication, social behavior, planning, organization, decision-making and judgment. Challenges in these areas can affect a person’s ability to follow conversations, complete tasks, manage deadlines, keep appointments, interact with others effectively or even care for themselves.
Many issues can disrupt our ability to think as clearly and easily as we might like. These include:
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traumatic brain injury (TBI)
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multiple sclerosis (MS)
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Parkinson’s disease
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concussion
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dementia
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epilepsy
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cancer
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stroke
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mild cognitive impairment (MCI)
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anxiety and everyday stress
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learning disabilities
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depression
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trauma
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ADHD
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aging
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grief
Whatever the cause, strengthening cognitive abilities can increase feelings of success at home, school and work.
Goals of cognitive rehabilitation:
1. Build awareness of your thinking abilities.
2. Develop new skills to address your challenges.
3. Improve your daily functioning by improving your cognition.
My Approach
I center my approach around each client’s unique needs, blending the brain science supporting cognitive rehabilitation with my experience as a psychotherapist to offer holistic support.
I am adept in many evidence-based therapies, including Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Behavioral Activation (BA). Many clients find that improving their cognitive skills also improves their mental health.
A Short-Term Process
I provide cognitive rehabilitation to adults (aged 18 and over) via telehealth. Appointments are 55 minutes long and usually take place weekly for six to ten weeks. Caregivers may also participate in appointments, if needed.
Cognitive rehabilitation will follow this step-by-step process:
1. Before we meet, I’ll review your relevant medical information.
2. During our first sessions, we’ll assess your cognitive strengths and set goals for addressing your weaknesses.
3. In the following sessions, we'll focus on learning and applying new skills. We'll work on both "restorative efforts" to restore previous functioning and "compensatory efforts" to compensate for lost functioning.
4. In between sessions, you'll practice your new skills and track your progress.
5. Together, we’ll analyze what worked and what didn't. We’ll then modify the skill or learn another new skill until you achieve your goals.