Building Bridges: Conversations Around Brain Injury and Community Support

By Christy Coenen Coordinator, Membership & Events

Over the past several months, I’ve had the opportunity to collaborate with a dedicated group of professionals to help educate and support our community around brain injuries. This work has opened doors to meaningful partnerships with a wide range of organizations—from homeless shelters to AODA (alcohol and other drug abuse) programs—and has highlighted the power of cross-sector collaboration.

Together, we’ve been able to step into various agencies and offer practical training on how to recognize the signs of a brain injury, how to assess those signs, and most importantly, how to guide individuals to the right services. These conversations are not always easy, but they are essential. They create a shared language among service providers and a clearer path forward for those who need support.

Equally impactful has been the time spent with individuals affected by brain injury. Through support groups, we’ve created space for people to share how they came to understand their injury, the ways they manage daily challenges, and how they lift each other up through mutual support and education. These stories are raw and powerful. They remind us that healing doesn’t happen in isolation—it happens in community.

When It Clicked: Volunteer Passion Meets ATSA’s Purpose

A few months into this work, I had a moment where it all clicked. I began to see just how closely my passion project—working with individuals affected by brain injury—was aligned with the mission we uphold at ATSA.

As I listened to individuals describe their experiences—how they learned about their injury, how it changed their relationships and behaviors, and how it affected their sense of control—it hit me: this isn’t separate from our work at ATSA. In fact, it’s central to it.

ATSA Member's talk about rehabilitation, risk reduction, accountability, and ethical care. What if part of what we call resistance or poor insight is actually rooted in undiagnosed cognitive injury? What if a person’s failure to follow through isn’t willful, but neurological?

This perspective shift matters. Recognizing and addressing brain injuries can be a gateway to more effective intervention, stronger rapport, and better outcomes. It’s not just about screening—it’s about humanizing.

What the Research Reveals

Recent studies make it clear that brain injuries are not a marginal issue in our field—they are common, often overlooked, and deeply relevant:

• Nearly 50% of a sample of 476 adult males who caused sexual harm assessed at a psychiatric hospital had experienced head injuries resulting in loss of consciousness. About 22.5% had significant neurological impact.
  (Langevin, 2006)
• A meta-analysis found that 60% of justice-involved individuals reported a history of traumatic brain injury (TBI), with 53%–75% in male populations specifically. About 52% had experienced TBI with loss of consciousness.
  (Kirk-Provencher, 2020)
• Among young individuals who committed violent offences, 77.5% reported at least one TBI, often linked to aggression and substance use. Many recognized their injury as a turning point toward risky behavior.
  (Katzin, 2020)
• A clinical review found that 6.5% of men with a history of TBI went on to commit sexual offenses post-injury—even without prior history or alcohol involvement—suggesting a neurological role in some offenses.
  (Simpson, 1999)

These numbers are hard to ignore. In comparison, estimates of TBI in the general population range from 12–20%. That means people involved in the justice system—and particularly those convicted of sexual offenses—are several times more likely to have experienced a brain injury.

This Reinforces ATSA’s Values

The more we understand the role of brain injury in behavioral health, the more responsible and effective we become in our work. This includes:

• Recognition before reaction: Behaviors that seem resistant, erratic, or impulsive may stem from brain injury—not defiance or disregard. With screening and education, we can respond appropriately.
• Training across disciplines: Whether you’re in probation, treatment, reentry, or case management, knowing how to spot signs of a brain injury opens up new ways to support individuals—ways that are more just, humane, and effective.
• Community-based support: The support groups I’ve been part of show how powerful it is when people share their stories, learn together, and begin to understand themselves. This mirrors ATSA’s vision of trauma-informed, person-centered care.
• Bringing more voices to the table: We’re stronger when we collaborate. When probation officers, social workers, clinicians, family members, and clients are in dialogue together, we create richer, more supportive systems.

A Call to Action

If you work with individuals—particularly justice-involved clients—ask yourself:

• Have we talked about cognitive or neurological history?
• Have we screened for traumatic brain injury?
• Do we understand how symptoms like memory loss, executive dysfunction, or emotional volatility might be showing up?

If not, now is the time to start. You don’t have to be a specialist to make a difference. There are practical tools, trainings, and partners in your community who can help.

And don’t have these conversations alone. Bring others in—colleagues, treatment team members, community partners. Because the more voices we bring into these conversations, the more effective and compassionate our work becomes.

Brain injuries don’t define a person—but they can shape their journey. And if we don’t talk about them, we miss a crucial part of the picture.

By recognizing brain injuries, we’re not excusing harm—we’re doing what ATSA has always stood for: looking deeper, asking better questions, and creating conditions for accountability, safety, and support.

Let’s keep building those bridges—together.