INSTRUCTORS: Kit Malia & Anne Brannagan
'The patient needs and deserves a time to place his or her tragedy into perspective and to construct their life not in spite of brain damage but in the face of it'

AIMS:

• To extend skills and knowledge about the concept of insight following brain injury
• To introduce materials that can be used to assess insight
• To provide practical treatment approaches to take away and use with clients/patients

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This two day interactive workshop is suitable for professionals working with adults who have insight problems following brain injury. The course presents a practical model within which to understand awareness and acceptance problems following brain injury. The workshop format encourages the development of practical activities that can be put into practice within teams.

Programme Day 1:

10:00am INTRODUCTION
Defining 'insight'; understanding related terms; awareness and acceptance.

10:30 am MECHANISMS OF AWARENESS
Practical exercise - how to know what are you're strengths and weaknesses; why awareness problems exist following brain injury; denial as a protective mechanism; effects of cognitive, executive and metacognitive problems.

11:15 am Coffee

11:45am AREAS OF THE BRAIN INVOLVED IN AWARENESS
Presentation of the concept of Association Cortex with Heteromodal and Unimodal dimensions. 

12:15pm WHY DO WE NEED TO IMPROVE AWARENESS?
The importance of dealing with awareness issues; implications for rehabilitation

12:45pm LUNCH

1:45pm A PRACTICAL MODEL OF AWARENESS
Presenting Crosson et al's model (1989) with modifications; intellectual awareness; emergent awareness; anticipatory awareness.

2:15pm ASSESSMENT OF AWARENESS
Assessment using Crosson et al's model (1989)

2:45pm BREAK

3:00pm ASSESSMENT OF AWARENESS
Practical group exercise with case study; discussion and questions

4:00pm FINISH

Programme Day 2:

10:00am SUMMARY OF DAY 1

10:30am GROUP EXERCISE FOR DEVELOPING TREATMENT GUIDELINES
Using case studies and discussion

11:15am BREAK

11:45am TREATMENT OF AWARENESS
Issues of timing of intervention, hope, emotional distress and denial.

12:45pm LUNCH

1:45pm ADJUSTMENT ISSUES
How to tell people; the grieving process; loss; how to deal with the distress/anger

2:45pm BREAK

3:00pm WHAT DO YOU NEED NOW

4:00pm FINISH