Anastasia Edmonston, MS, CRC
Trainer and Consultant
With more than 30 years of experience in the field of rehabilitation services for individuals with traumatic and acquired brain injuries, Anastasia has worked as a clinician, program coordinator, vocational rehabilitation counselor and federal grant coordinator. Over the past 15 years, she has incorporated her clinical expertise and passion for advocacy into developing and delivering workshops, webinars and training to a variety of audiences that focus on how to identify and appropriately serve individuals who are living with brain injury.
Having completed a virtual training and facilitation course, Anastasia is a versatile trainer, able to reach diverse audiences. She has presented to professionals working in the behavioral health, aging, vocational rehabilitation, and intellectual disabilities services field as well as public safety and law enforcement, among others. Anastasia also trains and consults with her colleagues in the brain injury community regarding the link between brain injury, mental health and addiction to enhance their ability to provide comprehensive services and supports. Anastasia is a certified Person-Centered Thinking Instructor through the Learning Community for Person Centered Practices, has studied with and continues to be mentored by Diane Grieder, national expert and author of several books on Person Centered Planning for individuals with mental health and addiction challenges. A Mental Health First Aid Instructor since 2014, Anastasia is certified to teach the Adult and Older Adult curriculums.
Brain Injury Training: Brain injury trainings are designed for the audience and setting, ranging from an hour-long conference workshop to an all-day training that includes immersive exercises, videos and introduction and opportunity to practice administering the Ohio Valley University Traumatic Brain Injury Identification Screening Tool (OSU TBI-ID). Regardless of session length the consistent message to all audiences that to be truly person-centered; professionals, providers and systems need to be brain injury informed and to approach assessment, treatment and services through a holistic lens. Below are examples of brain injury related topics and targeted audience.
• Traumatic Brain Injury, Addiction and Acquired Brain Injury (secondary to opioid overdose), overview and strategies for brain injury professionals
• Traumatic Brain Injury Overview for Behavioral Health Professionals
• Aging and Traumatic Brain Injury, Overview of Common Cognitive, Behavioral and Physical Challenges
• Vocational Issues after Traumatic Brain Injury
• “Unmasking Traumatic Brain Injury”: Understanding the Implications of Hidden TBI (and Acquired Brain Injury) in the Vocational Process
• TBI and Transition Age Youth
• Crisis Intervention Team Training: Incorporating Brain Injury Awareness into CIT classes for Law Enforcement Professionals
• Judicial and Criminal Justice Hot Topic: Why understanding the consequences of brain injury is critical to judges, parole and probation, and problem-solving court personal
• What American with Disabilities Act (ADA) Coordinators Need to Know About Employees with a History of Traumatic Brain Injury and How to Support Them
• Traumatic Brain Injury and Service Members: Understanding the Impact of Brain Injury in Those Who Have Served
• The Very Vulnerable, Traumatic Brain Injury Among the Homeless and the Incarcerated
• TBI Overview and Screening for Behavioral Health Professionals with a focus on Substance Abuse and Domestic Violence
• TBI as a Developmental Disability: Overview for professionals and direct care staff working in services for individuals with intellectual and cognitive disabilities
Person Centered Thinking and Planning Training: Person Centered thinking and planning training is offered in several formats depending on the audience and time allocated. Whether a two-day workshop following the curriculum of the Learning Community, three-hour training for case managers within the Public Behavioral Health System or a workshop for brain injury professionals, the message is consistently given that to be person centered, we need to be “brain injury informed”. Person Centered themed training topics below:
• Building Capacity for Person-Centered Services and Supports, this two-day workshop offers a person-centered foundation for everyone who is involved in supporting people with physical and behavioral health challenges, this training is designed and recommended for all staff and administrative personal working within in any service delivery system. The curriculum for this class and the related handouts and materials are from the Learning Community for Person Centered Practices.
• Integrating Person-Centered Thinking and Planning into the Delivery of Brain Injury Services
• Person Centered Care Planning for Behavioral Health Professionals, Overview of Key Components and Principles
• Screening & Accommodating for a History of TBI, a Critical Component of Building a Person-Centered Care Plan
