A Clarion Call for Social Work Attention: Brothers and Sisters of Persons With Acquired Brain Injury in the United States

ABSTRACT

This article presents a clarion call for increased social work attention to the needs of siblings of persons with acquired brain injury (ABI) in the United States. The article overviews how siblings are psychosocially affected, how they provide care to the injured brothers and sisters, and how they personally develop as a result of their experiences. The article highlights the fact that social workers and other professionals often overlook the needs of siblings of persons with ABI and makes an appeal for social workers to advance clinical practice and research to benefit this often neglected population.

KEYWORDS:

• Acquired brain injury
• disability
• family
• family caregiving
• long-term care
• pediatric
• siblings
• traumatic brain injury

Notes on contributor

Charles Edmund Degeneffe, PhD, MSSW, CRC, is a Professor of Rehabilitation Counseling at San Diego State University (SDSU). He is the Coordinator of the SDSU Masters in Rehabilitation Counseling Program and SDSU Certificate Program in Cognitive Disabilities. He completed his PhD in rehabilitation psychology and master’s of science in social work degrees at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He holds the Certified Rehabilitation Counselor credential. He has experience working with persons with acquired brain injuries in direct care residential support, support group facilitation, neuropsychological assessment, and counseling and case management. His research interests focus on adjustment and caregiving for family members of persons with acquired brain injuries. He is on the Board of Directors for the Council on Rehabilitation Education, and is a former president of the National Council on Rehabilitation Education. He is also a former Commissioner for the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification.