Brief Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to Promote Recovery from Pediatric Concussion

Concussion is a form of mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI) that is quite common in youth. Within the pediatric population, adolescents are at the highest risk of concussion. While most youth recover from concussion quickly, a subset of the population can experience symptoms for a prolonged period of time. Symptoms can impact functioning across a number of systems (e.g., autonomic, vestibular-ocular, cognitive, and emotional). Health psychologists are in a unique position to provide evidence-based intervention to support coping and recovery among pediatric concussion patients. The aim of this paper is to explore common presentations of pediatric concussion, present evidence-based psychological approaches, and introduce a model of brief cognitive behavioral intervention for youth with concussion with the ultimate goal of improving access to timely care for this population.