The aim of this article is to explore the perception of being a support person for clients with acquired brain injury undergoing vocational rehabilitation. Nine support persons, identified by clients with brain injury, were interviewed. Interviews were analyzed using qualitative content analysis, resulting in 3 themes for assisting the client: commitment, adaptation, and cooperation. Within each theme, multiple dimensions were identified, reflecting the complexity of vocational rehabilitation following acquired brain injury. Commitment built on social relations is linked to sustainability of support. The included support persons' role was especially valuable in contexts where adaptation and cooperation were required.
How does participating in a peer support group impact an adult's psychosocial adjustment following brain injury? This question was investigated using a qualitative approach, interviewing patients recruited from an ambulatory care program. Data analysis guided by Bury's sociological framework, biographical disruption and biographical repair, revealed participants' pregroup disrupted sense of self, including subthemes related to intrinsic losses and uncertainty. Enhanced psychosocial adjustment including subthemes described participants' reorientation through shared experience. Finally, a postgroup adapted sense of self including subthemes was characterized by heightened purpose, self-awareness, and acceptance. Findings lend weight to using tailored peer interventions to optimize psychosocial adjustment for this population.