Concussions and other traumatic brain injuries can cause devastating, long-term issues to cognitive functions. Dysfunction could occur in memory, attention, and other impaired neurological systems. This not only impacts your way of life, but your success at home, work, or school.
Luckily, Cognitive Remediation Therapy can help. Cognitive Remediation Therapy is a type of cognitive therapy that can help improve cognitive functions impacted from mild and acute traumatic brain injury. Continue reading to learn more about cognitive therapy, who can benefit from it, and how it can help remediate cognitive dysfunction.
Overview
Through cognitive therapy training techniques, patients can remediate cognitive dysfunction by retraining the brain through cognitive tasks, interventions, and mindfulness exercises. Cognitive remediation occurs through neuroplasticity, or when the brain’s neural networks are able to reconnect and reorganize through these repetitive learning and functioning strategies.
There’s no one-size-fits-all approach, either. Since every person’s brain is wired differently, Cognitive Remediation Therapy takes the same approach. You’ll begin with a thorough neuropsychological assessment that helps determine your specific areas of concern and cognitive dysfunction following a concussion or brain injury. You’ll then undergo a specialized treatment plan that helps remediate cognitive functions like memory, executive function, attention, focus, or “brain fog.”
Who can benefit from Cognitive Remediation Therapy
Recent studies show that cognitive therapy helps improve both cognitive impairment and psychosocial functioning. Those who have suffered from a mild to severe traumatic brain injury or concussion, and who experience long-lasting cognitive dysfunction, can especially benefit from this type of therapy. If you are experiencing persistent problems with executive functioning that impact your social functioning or mental wellbeing, Cognitive Remediation Therapy could be an effective solution.
Cognitive therapy has also recently shown success in similar cases of mild cognitive impairment. It has some effectiveness for patients with chronic or progressive cognitive illnesses and age-related cognitive issues like dementia or stroke patients. Though more evidence supports positive cognitive remediation effects in those with persistent cognitive impairment issues, there is no known evidence of harmful results from patients who have undergone CRT or cognitive therapy.
Other Benefits of CRT
Cognitive Remediation Therapy helps patients achieve cognitive function by relearning, reinforcing, and strengthening neural patterns. This type of therapy also helps traumatic brain injury patients remediate impaired neurological systems by establishing new patterns of cognitive function.
These types of strategies are tailored to each individual’s lifestyle, responsibilities, and routines. Cognitive Remediation Therapy will help you get back to your life, work, and community even stronger than you were before. For more information on how cognitive therapy can help, contact The Hartman Center.