Traumatic Brain Injury and Counselor Preparation: A Survey of Practicing Counselors and Graduate Students

The current study sought to determine whether practicing counselors and counseling students at the end of their program were prepared to treat survivors of brain injury. The researchers gathered both quantitative and qualitative data via a Web-based survey. Quantitative findings indicated that 1) respondents reported an average score just below the median on all items, indicating that they were neither very confident nor did they lack complete confidence, and 2) the number of experiences of working with people with TBI significantly impacted respondents’ comfort, knowledge, and skill level. Qualitative findings from two open-ended survey questions indicated that counselors and counseling students felt that patience, understanding of brain injury, and knowledge of community resources were critical to working effectively with this population of clients, among others.