A metacognitive contextual approach for facilitating return to work following acquired brain injury: Three descriptive case studies

Issue title: Executive Function in the Workplace

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Ownsworth, Tamara

Affiliations: School of Psychology, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD 4111, Australia. Tel.: +61 7 3735 3307; Fax: +61 7 3735 3388; E-mail: t.ownsworth@griffith.edu.au

Abstract: Objective: To describe the implementation of a metacognitive contextual approach for facilitating return to work for individuals with acquired brain injury (ABI). Participants: Participants included three individuals with ABI (one male aged 33 years with head injury, one male aged 51 years with stroke, and one female aged 43 years with head injury) who were 3–7 years post-injury and were experiencing long-term unemployment. Methods: Individuals participated in a 16-week metacognitive contextual intervention in the community that emphasized executive strategy training and enhancement of social contextual factors in the return to work process. Results: Each participant met their employment goals, achieving a paid work placement within a 3–16 week period following the intervention with durable outcomes. The participant with a less positive employment prognosis attained a faster work placement than the other participants but required more intensive on-the-job support. Conclusions: This study provides preliminary support regarding the efficacy of a metacognitive contextual approach in vocational rehabilitation following ABI.

Keywords: Acquired brain injury, employment, metacognitive contextual approach, vocational rehabilitation

DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2010-1041

Journal: Work, vol. 36, no. 4, pp. 381-388, 2010