Table Of ContentChristian and Faith-based
Counseling for Brain Injury
Christian and Faith-based Counseling for Brain Injury: Techniques for Survivors and Families
refects Dr. Deana Adams’ long-time academic research, teaching, and professional
practice in working with brain injury survivors and their families. Her book is
timely, relevant, and flls a gap specifcally in Christian and faith-based compassionate
counseling for persons surviving brain injury and their families.
– Rev. Dr. Helen T. Boursier, Ph.D.,
Author, Educator, Advocate, Ordained Minister
Christian and Faith-based Counseling for Brain Injury is the frst book of its kind to
offer faith-based therapy to address the emotional, cognitive, and mental health
needs of individuals who have suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI). A highly
researched piece of work, the book puts forth an innovative and effective
method not only for addressing the challenges of a life-changing injury but
also for creating a sense of purpose.
Through the nuances of faith-based counseling, this book focuses on the
spiritual and existential aspects of understanding the diagnosis and creating
a purpose post-injury. It examines how brain injury can affect an individual
by exploring the defcits of brain injury, the impact of brain injury, and the
challenges specifc to damage to certain brain lobes. It also describes the
mental health issues, such as depression, anxiety, grief, anger, and posttraumatic
stress, that can affect both the survivor and their family members. Offering
targeted counseling techniques and adaptive strategies, it shows how faith-based
counselors can effectively treat brain injury.
This book is valuable reading for all individuals invested in providing support
to the TBI community. It is aimed at counselors, lay counselors, healthcare
professionals, social workers, psychotherapists, seminary students, and upper-
level graduate students. It will further be of use to clinicians working in the
outpatient level of care and private practice settings.
Deana Adams, PhD, LPC-S, is the executive director of Hope Behavioral
Health, a private practice specializing in traumatic brain injury. As the president
and founder of Hope After Brain Injury, Dr. Adams speaks nationally and
internationally, sharing insights on how to effectively counsel and facilitate
successful recovery for those affected by brain injury.
Christian and Faith-based
Counseling for Brain Injury
Techniques for Survivors and Families
Deana Adams
Cover image: © Getty Images
First published 2023
by Routledge
605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158
and by Routledge
4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2023 Deana Adams
The right of Deana Adams to be identifed as author of this work has been
asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs
and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in
any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or
registered trademarks, and are used only for identifcation and explanation
without intent to infringe.
ISBN: 9781032295107 (hbk)
ISBN: 9781032292656 (pbk)
ISBN: 9781003301912 (ebk)
DOI: 10.4324/9781003301912
Typeset in Bembo
by Apex CoVantage, LLC
Contents
List of Figures vi
Foreword vii
Preface ix
Acknowledgments xi
1 Christian and Faith-Based Counseling Defned 1
2 Brain Injury Defned 11
3 Stages of Treatment 20
4 Family Experience of a Loved One With Brain Injury 33
5 Brain Anatomy, Functions, and Defcits 46
6 Coping With Emotional and Social Defcits of Brain Injury 58
7 Coping With Cognitive Defcits of Brain Injury 68
8 Counseling Depression and Anxiety 82
9 Counseling Ambiguous Grief 97
10 Counseling Posttraumatic Stress 106
11 Counseling Fatigue and Anger 116
12 Counseling Self-Concept and Purpose 131
Index 143
Figures
3.1 Patti Foster – acute hospital. 21
3.2 Patti Foster – inpatient rehabilitation. 22
3.3 Patti and Judy Foster – transitional rehabilitation. 23
3.4 Patti Foster today. 24
6.1 Progression to outbursts. 61
10.1 Symptoms of PTSD and mTBI. 109
11.1 Coping strategies for fatigue. 119
11.2 Anger coping strategies. 122
11.3 Self-care for survivors. 126
11.4 Self-care for primary caregivers. 127
Foreword
The earliest written evidence of brain injuries is documented in Egypt in the
Edwin Smith Papyrus, 3,000–2,500 bc, when the pyramids were built – the frst
medical document recognized in the history of medicine.
But it is only in recent years that traumatic brain injury (TBI) has been given
a name and notoriety.
Due to high numbers of traumatic brain injury among active and retired
professional football players in the United States, the National Football League
established a concussion protocol in 2009, which has since been updated sev-
eral times. Most sports have embraced similar safeguards. Regularly in the news
today, we hear of athletes being sidelined for their protection because of all that
is being learned about the life-altering consequences of TBI.
My personal connection to someone facing a “new normal” after excessive
brain damage was an interview in 2008 for 100 Huntley Street, a daily Canadian
Christian television program. My guest, Patti Foster, nearly died in 2002 after a
devastating car crash in Texas that left her in a coma for six weeks. She lives as a
trophy of God’s grace, helping and encouraging other victims of TBI and their
friends and families. God’s Spirit was at work when Dr. Deana Adams recon-
nected with the woman, who was not expected to walk or talk again. Deana
had been working with trauma since 1991 and had seen its impact on lives
as a frst responder beginning in 1995. She began brain injury counseling in
2008 but became inspired to specialize in working with brain injury survivors.
Launching Hope After Brain Injury in 2013, Deana has traveled around the
globe, often speaking along with Patti to healthcare providers, survivors, and
caregivers. These groups are all involved in working through the struggles and
fnding the path to hope, as you will read in the diverse case studies that follow.
In 2017, Deana and Patti came to Canada for a conference on TBI. It was a
joy to have them stay in my home, and they complemented each other so well
on our national Christian TV broadcast. But the Author of Life had an agenda
that left us in awe. We were able to meet with two young women who were
living with dramatic limitations, both as a result of serious brain injury in a
car accident. These unplanned ministries to survivors and their family mem-
bers were gifts from God, who engaged the expertise of the dynamic duo and
poured His compassion through them.
viii Foreword
This book is the frst of its kind, and it could not be more timely. I have
people eagerly waiting for their copy of Christian and Faith-Based Counseling for
Brain Injury: Techniques for Survivors and Families.
Now may God, the inspiration and fountain of hope, fll you to overfow-
ing with uncontainable joy and perfect peace as you trust in him. And may
the power of the Holy Spirit continually surround your life with his super-
abundance until you radiate with hope!
Romans 15:13 (The Passion Translation, TPT)
Moira Brown
Broadcaster, Author, Speaker
Burlington, Ontario
Canada
Preface
Being starstruck has never been an issue for me until brain injury came into
my life. Each time I meet a survivor of brain injury, a caregiver, or a healthcare
professional specializing in brain injury, my stomach jumps into my chest. They
are heroes to me. And, in my opinion, they are this world’s best resource for
resilience. In this book, I share case studies of clients with whom I have worked.
Their names have been changed to protect their anonymity. I trust that their
stories will resonate with the reader, offering hope and encouragement from a
counselor blessed to work with this special population.
As I have gotten older, I have grown to appreciate the legacy of my family
members. I come from a long line of medicine and ministry. My mom’s side
of the family were all in the medical feld. My dad’s side of the family were all
ministers. So it came naturally for me to consider counseling as a vocation. My
three homes were our house, the church, and the hospital. At age 7, I accepted
Christ into my heart and became a Christian. When I was 21 years old, I dedi-
cated my life to full-time Christian service as a Christian counselor. Working
with individuals who struggle with mental health issues was my purpose and
passion. In 1995, I was invited to be a frst responder to the Oklahoma City
(OKC) bombing, where I spent several days working with a local church and
a hospital whose parishioners and staff suffered unbelievable trauma from the
bombing and ongoing crime scene. Upon my return home, I was asked to
volunteer as a police chaplain, which I did with three cities in the Dallas/
Fort Worth area. I became a frst responder to high-profle crime scenes and
disasters.
Everything changed in 2008. While at a friend’s house in East Texas, I re-met
Patti Foster. I say re-met because she and I had originally met after the OKC
bombing when she interviewed me on her radio program. She was a Christian
radio host in Tyler, Texas. In 2002, Patti was in a horrifc traffc accident and
suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI). At that meeting in 2008, she shared
with me and her extended family, what it was like to live with a TBI. Up until
that point, I was not aware of brain injury or its ramifcations. In fact, at that
time not many laypeople even knew what a TBI was. As we talked, I heard
God speak to my heart that working with TBI was what I was going to do for
the rest of my life. In 2013, Hope After Brain Injury (HABI) was established as
