Guest: Melissa Brunner, PhD, MHlthSC, CPSP

Earn 0.1 ASHA CEU for this episode with Speech Therapy PD: https://www.speechtherapypd.com/courses/rebuilding-social-connection

In this episode of Brainstorms, host Renee Garrett, MSEd, CCC-SLP, CBIS, is joined by Dr. Melissa Brunner, PhD, MHlthSC, CPSP, to explore how social media can support connection and identity rebuilding after acquired brain injury when used thoughtfully and safely. Social media has the potential to offer community, purpose, and support after ABI, but for many survivors and caregivers, it can also feel overwhelming, risky, or confusing. Renee and Dr. Brunner introduce the concept of SocialAbility and share practical, functional strategies SLPs can use to help clients navigate online spaces with greater confidence, boundaries, and self-awareness. Designed for SLPs, caregivers, and survivors alike, this conversation offers compassionate guidance and real-world approaches for using social media as a meaningful and safe bridge back to social connection. About the

Guest: Dr. Melissa (Liss) Brunner, PhD, MHlthSC, CPSP, is a Senior Lecturer and certified practicing speech pathologist at the University of Sydney, Australia. She has over twenty years of experience in the assessment and management of swallowing and communication difficulties in adults, particularly working with people who have experienced a stroke or traumatic brain injury. Her clinical research addresses the use of digital health solutions to support participation and inclusion, in particular, the complexity of issues surrounding people with ABI using social media and how they may (or may not) be addressed during their rehabilitation. She is passionate about including people with lived experience in her work and is an author of social-ABI-ity training (part of the Social Brain Toolkit project).