DIGEST-V8-i1

1 TPC Digest 1 | TPC Digest Trish J. Smith, Courtney M. Holmes Assessment and Treatment of Brain Injury in Women Impacted by Intimate Partner Violence and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder I n diagnosis and treatment. A diagnosis of PTSD is made on the basis that the client has been exposed to a dangerous or life-threatening stressor and experiences the following: intrusion of thoughts or re-experiencing of the event, including flashbacks; avoidance of experiences or thoughts related to the stressor; negative alterations in cognitions and mood; and changes in reactivity, including hypervigilance or hyperarousal. Studies have shown that physical manifestations of PTSD can include daily cognitive failures in memory, perception, and motor function. The impact of both TBI and PTSD holds various implications for treatment. For example, researchers have suggested that TBI manifests differently in women than it does men, with women experiencing decreased play or socializing behaviors. The data could suggest considerations for group counseling as well as the utilization of TBI research that is based largely on samples that are majority men. Interpretations of the research also lend themselves to taking a closer look at the counseling and safety planning processes, which may require accommodation according to the deficits that ensue as a result of TBI and PTSD. Counselors treating women who have experienced IPV should be aware of the high prevalence of TBI, perform the appropriate screenings, consider overlapping symptoms between TBI and PTSD, consider sex differences in TBI research, and make considerations throughout counseling to ensure best practices, such as including the use of compensatory strategies and specific counseling approaches that are conducive to neuroplasticity or that are accommodating. Trish J. Smith is a resident in counseling and a senior client services advocate at Safe Harbor Shelter in Richmond, Virginia. Courtney M. Holmes, NCC, is an assistant professor at Virginia Commonwealth University. Correspondence can be addressed to Trish Smith, Safe Harbor Shelter, P.O. Box 17996, Richmond, VA 23226, trish@safeharborshelter.com.