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The Brain Health & Wellness program offers non-clinical, wellness, and life-skills classes, specifically designed for those affected by Brain Injury. These FREE classes provide opportunities to acquire new skills, socialize, and take ownership of their health and well-being. Classes are being offered virtually via Zoom.
UPCOMING CLASSES:
Surfing the Digital Wave: A Fun Dive into How AI and Copilot Turn into Our Brain Buddies
Monday, April 22nd: 12 - 1 pm PST
The course will be led by Board President, Sabrina Bonaparte, an AI enthusiast, who leverages technology to enrich her life and that of her husband Brandon, a brain injury survivor. Together, we can harness the power of technology to improve the lives of brain injury survivors and their families!
Sabrina Bonaparte is currently serving as the Board President of the Brain Injury Alliance of Washington. She holds a PhD in Sociology from the University of Washington and works as a Business Program Manager at Microsoft. Sabrina is not just an avid user of AI, but also a passionate advocate for its potential to improve lives. Her commitment to the cause of brain health is deeply personal, as her husband, Brandon, is a brain injury survivor. Sabrina blends her professional expertise, personal experience, and passion for technology to educate others on how to improve their quality of life using technology.
Finding Time, Ways, and Motivation to Move More, with Charles Bombardier, PhD
Thursday, May 9th: 12 - 1 pm PST
This class will review the benefits of moving more for our physical, cognitive, and emotional health. We will discuss reasons to move more, ways to move more, and finding time to move more.
Dr. Charles Bombardier is a clinical psychologist who has worked in TBI rehabilitation for more than 30 years. He has studied the benefits of physical activity for physical, emotional, and brain health in people with TBI and other types of disabilities.
More details and registration links will be up as classes are developed!
PRIOR CLASS RECORDINGS:
NEWLY ADDED:
Talking To People About Your Brain Injury with Whitney Morean, PhD
Whitney Morean, PhD is a disabled psychology fellow at University of Washington. She obtained her PhD in clinical psychology from Seattle Pacific University 2023. Her clinical and research interests have been influenced by her work as a case manager and her insider-professional perspective on disability having the lived experience of transitioning from a disability outsider to having an acquired disability.
This class will discuss how the type of relationship you have to a person impacts what and how you talk about your brain injury. Additionally, we will provide some example scripts for how to talk to others depending on the relationship and context.
Disability and Self-Advocacy: Why, Who, When, and How with Silas James, MPA
Silas is a disabled advocate who has worked in brain injury research for more than 15 years. He was a chair of the Seattle Disability Commission, has created several TBI InfoComics, and co-teaches a class on disability allyship for future health care professionals at UW. You can see his work at TBI InfoComics (washington.edu)
This class explores the reality of unsolicited actions or comments that disabled people regularly deal with. We will consider microaggressions and the options we have to respond. I will also propose a method you can use to know productive ways to respond when appropriate. At the end of our discussion, I will leave you with a tool to build your skills in self-advocacy by learning from our mistakes as well as successes.
*As part of Brain Injury Awareness Month, this is a special extended class. We will run up to 2 hours, with a 20-minute break halfway through the presentation. As always, the class will be available on our YouTube channel following the live presentation.
Visit our YouTube Channel for all prior class recordings
The information provided during our virtual wellness classes and other material contained in the course are for informational and educational purposes only. The information is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
These sessions will be recorded and posted to BIAWA's YouTube channel. By participating in these classes, you consent to audio, video, and/or images of you and your participation in these classes being recorded.