Introduction

Previous chapters have described the principles of neuro psychological rehabilitation and outlined the Oliver Zangwill Centre (OZC) for Neuropsychological Rehabilitation programme providing descriptions of groups developed to address specific types of difficulties experienced by many individuals following acquired brain injury. In addition, within a holistic neuropsychological rehabilitation setting, other groups may be run according to shared needs of the individuals undertaking the programme at any one time. This chapter aims to identify some of the types of groups that have been utilized and discusses the format, content and ways in which such group work can be integrated within individual rehabilitation programmes. Group attendance is discussed and agreed as plans of action towards individualized client goals, which help to co-ordinate the activities of the clinical team.

Within society, people are members of one group or another, within the home, at work or in recreational and social interests. Groups provide us with a shared identity and roles, in addition to peer support, and we know that many people experience a loss of role and purpose and a sense of isolation after brain injury. Klinger (2005), summarizing the results of a qualitative study with traumatic brain injury participants, notes: ‘participants had to learn a new way of “being” in order to move on to a new way of “doing”’ (p. 14). A similar finding is reported by Gracey et al. (2008). Group activity is thus of central importance to the programme especially the ‘therapeutic milieu’ core component.