Family Training – Behavioral Changes After Brain Injury

Behavior change following moderate and severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) is common, and can contribute to significant stress for individuals and their families. The kinds of behavior changes and how long they persist depend on multiple factors including injury location and severity, as well as an individual’s access to adequate support and interventions in the time following an injury. This presentation will create an opportunity for discussion around why changes in behavior occur and how to decrease the likelihood of challenging behaviors during the recovery process. Specifically, participants will learn how to identify factors that make challenging behaviors more likely and how to use this information to promote positive behavior change over time. Participants will also gain knowledge around resources they can turn to for additional support.

Presented by: Toni M. Curry, PhD, NCSP, is a second year postdoctoral fellow in pediatric neuropsychology at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) in Lebanon, New Hampshire. She is also a licensed clinical psychologist in the state of New York and a nationally certified school psychologist. Prior to coming to DHMC, she completed a postdoctoral fellowship in clinical psychology at NYU Language and a pre-doctoral internship in behavior management at Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, Maryland. Throughout her training, Toni has maintained a strong interest in studying brain-behavior relationships, with the ultimate goal of using her knowledge to improve the lives of patients and families from underserved backgrounds.