Sponsored by INS Neurocognitive Intervention Special Interest Group
Summary Abstract:
Accumulating evidence indicates that group-based programs can be an effective and cost-efficient form of cognitive intervention, enabling participants to learn strategies that optimise their daily functioning while also connecting with and learning from peers with similar experiences. Yet running groups involves a complex set of skills that are different from those required for individual intervention delivery, and neuropsychologists are not consistently given opportunities to acquire or practise these skills in their training or clinical practice. Therefore, clinical implementation of these evidence-based interventions is lagging. In this workshop, Dana Wong, Jamie Berry and Elizabeth Twamley will describe and demonstrate key content and delivery elements for group-based cognitive intervention programs across different clinical conditions and settings. Firstly, Dana will focus on a memory skills group for people with acquired brain injury, which has been delivered successfully in both in-person and telehealth modalities. Then, Jamie will describe and demonstrate elements of a group-based cognitive remediation program targeting executive functions for people with substance use disorders. Finally, Beth will discuss compensatory cognitive training groups for individuals with neuropsychiatric disorders. The workshop will include a combination of didactic content, demonstration, participation in discussion, and opportunities for skill practice and development in the context of a practical, interactive session. Participating in this workshop is expected to improve knowledge, skills and confidence in facilitating group-based cognitive interventions in clinical practice.
Number of Credit Hours: 3.0
Level of Instruction: Introductory
Learning Objectives:
1. Explain the rationale and evidence for group-based interventions to improve cognitive functioning in people with conditions affecting the brain
2. Demonstrate understanding of process issues to consider when running a skills-based group with cognitively impaired participants
3. Practise skills that have been identified as important for running effective groups in rehabilitation
Presenter(s):
Jamie Berry, PsyD
Macquarie University / Advanced Neuropsychological Treatment Services
Dr Jamie Berry is a Senior Clinical Neuropsychologist and the Director of Advanced Neuropsychological Treatment Services (ANTS). He teaches on the postgraduate training programs at Sydney University and Macquarie University. He has an honorary appointment as Clinical Associate Professor at Macquarie University.
Jamie’s specialty is neuropsychological rehabilitation and intervention and his current research focus is the assessment and remediation of cognitive impairment among individuals with alcohol and other drug (AOD) use disorders. He is the project lead of the Alcohol and drug Cognitive Enhancement (ACE) project, a collaboration between ANTS, the NSW Health Agency for Clinical Innovation (ACI) and We Help Ourselves (WHOS).
Dana Wong, PhD
La Trobe University
A/Prof Dana Wong is an Associate Professor, Clinical Neuropsychologist, and School Director of Graduate Research in the School of Psychology and Public Health at La Trobe University, with active roles in research, teaching and clinical practice. She leads the eNACT (Neurorehabilitation And Clinical Translation) Research Group, which focuses on innovative neuropsychological rehabilitation techniques to improve the lives of brain injury survivors, and enhancing clinical implementation of and clinician competence in these evidence-based interventions. Dana has over 70 peer-reviewed publications, 3 book chapters and a treatment manual; and has attracted over $14.3 million in grant funding. She was awarded La Trobe's 2020 Research Engagement and Impact Award and the 2021 Australian Psychological Society (APS) College of Clinical Neuropsychologists Award of Distinction. Dana's focus on training top scientist-practitioners as a key element to clinical translation has been recognised with the 2021 AAUT Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning, 2018 APS Early Career Teaching Award, the 2017 Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Teaching Excellence, the 2017 Dean’s Award for Excellence in Education (Innovation in Teaching), and the 2016 Australasian Society for the Study of Brain Impairment (ASSBI) Clinical Innovation Award. Dana is currently President of ASSBI. She is an Editorial Board member for the journal Brain Impairment. In 2017 she led the development of BRAINSPaN, a multidisciplinary community of practice of clinicians and researchers in the brain impairment field. She is co-Chair of the Neuropsychological Intervention Special Interest Group of the International Neuropsychological Society; co-leads the Australian Neuropsychology Alliance of Training and Practice Leaders (ANATPL) and the Psychology Training and Public Health Workforce Alliance; and is a committee member for the Organisation for Psychological Research into Stroke (OPsyRIS).
Elizabeth Twamley, PhD
UC San Diego and VA San Diego Healthcare System
Dr. Twamley is a neuropsychologist and a Professor of Psychiatry at UC San Diego. Much of her work is based at the VA San Diego Healthcare System, where she is a VA Rehabilitation Research and Development Research Career Scientist and the Director of the Clinical Research Unit of the Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health. Dr. Twamley’s research has focused on cognitive training and other interventions to improve real-world functioning for individuals with severe mental illnesses, traumatic brain injuries, and other cognitive impairments. She has developed and evaluated Compensatory Cognitive Training (CCT) and Cognitive Symptom Management and Rehabilitation Therapy (CogSMART) with funding from NIH, VA, DoD, NSF, BBRF/NARSAD, and UC San Diego grants.
