Coping with a TBI using a game
Rachel Weisbarth's was dramatically affected when her dad received a traumatic brain injury in a car accident. The 9-year-old suddenly got less attention from both parents and had a dad who behaved differently than before the January 2005 accident. Rachel didn't understand why her dad would get upset for no apparent reason. Her mom, Christina, wanted to find a way to teach her daughter more about brain injuries and how to handle the new emotions that were flooding into her life. Working with Judy McAtee, a social worker with Special Tree Neuro Skills Center in Midland, Michigan Rachel created "The Brain Game." It features Action, Facts, Bonus and Feelings cards that are given out based on what color square a player ends up on after rolling dice. The squares are arranged in the shape of a brain, and the cards teach facts about traumatic brain injuries or ways to handle feelings that Rachel learned through research and experience. One thing Rachel learned is that her dad no longer can control his mood and he doesn't mean to hurt her feelings when his mood shifts. Knowing that, she can process her own feelings and know that he still loves her instead of being hurt. Another thing she has learned is to think of "can" statements instead of "can't" statements. Rachel said her dad can't do a lot of the everyday things they used to do together. "He can't talk. He can't walk. He can't take me to the park," she said. McAtee then pointed out there are things they can do together. "Dad can't take me to the park, but dad can go to the park with me," McAtee said to her as an example. Making "The Brain Game" helped Rachel so much that she wanted to share it with others going through the same experience she went through. She presented Special Tree CEO Joe Richert with the game last week to bring to a neurological skills center.
