Authors

Debbie Leonhardt, M.A., N.C.C., L.P.C.

Survivor of a brain injury, as well as President of Alexander Counseling. Survival Kit was born in desperation. I had sustained a brain injury in an automobile accident and was struggling to deal with everyday living activities. After almost burning down my home twice by becoming distracted and leaving cooking units on unattended, I realized I had a problem. Everything in my life that used to be so easy was now almost impossible to do without putting myself, others, or property at risk. I was frustrated at losing my keys three times a day, leaving frozen groceries in the car to melt, getting lost going to familiar places and no longer remembering the phone numbers of my family and friends.

When my speech therapist Mia first suggested using a memory book, I resisted the idea. I had never needed one before and didn’t want to need one now! But I was desperate to regain some independence and make sense of the chaos my life had become. At the beginning, my word-finding and writing skills were so damaged I was only able to keep a simple daily schedule and journal, mostly in list form. But gradually, with help, I began to understand how to use lists to help me with the skills I needed to not only survive each day, but to thrive.

At the time of my accident, I was working full-time in a public school as a counselor, and part-time as a music and youth minister in a church setting. Because of my deficits and fatigue, I was initially unable to return to work.

I spent several months in intensive outpatient treatment, and then gradually returned to work as a counselor part-time, while I continued working with a therapist for several years. Although I no longer work with a rehabilitation team, I continue to use on a daily basis the techniques, strategies, and coping skills that were devised or taught.

It has been ten years now since my accident, ten years of growing, learning, sharing, doing, and sometimes even failing. I not only have returned to work full-time in the public schools, but also own and operate a private counseling center in a small rural area. Some deficits remain, but I wouldn’t change my life or anything that has happened, including my injury. It is a part of who I am, and I am at peace with that. As you travel your unique journey, my wish is that you also find peace.

Best wishes for your best recovery.