Cross-disciplinary collaboration in the removal of work barriers after traumatic brain injury

Abstract

This article provides a comprehensive perspective on cross-disciplinary collaboration by the speech-language pathologist and the rehabilitation counselor on removing barriers to employment for survivors of traumatic brain injury (TBI). It emphasizes that for many individuals, the primary obstacles to vocational success are cognitive deficits that affect their capacity for communication. Complementary roles are described for these two rehabilitation professionals in collaboratively addressing these cognitive concerns and others. The role of the speech-language pathologist in job-site intervention is particularly underscored and illustrated through case studies. The success of rehabilitation is based on job-related performance for many individuals with TBI. It should be emphasized that other members of the rehabilitation team, family members/significant others, and coworkers can obviously play significant roles in facilitating a survivor's job-site adaptation, but this article focuses on the rehabilitation counselor's and speech-language pathologist's collaboration, which has not been well described to date.