Whether you are a patient, survivor, family member, or friend, brain injury recovery can be a hard road to walk alone. And while friends and family members may be willing to lend a hand, it might be hard to open up to those who might not fully understand your experience.
Support groups offer an incredible opportunity for those experiencing (or connected to) brain injury to share, listen, learn, and get the support they need. Whether online or in-person, these Virginia brain injury support groups can help you navigate the road ahead.
The Brain Injury Association of Virginia (BIAV) provides resources, information, and support for those impacted by brain injury. They offer three support groups:
Family caregivers meet online monthly for this virtual support group to share their experiences and get support from peers.
Those living with brain injuries, as well as friends and family, meet online once a month for this statewide virtual support group to connect and share ideas about how to face the challenges of brain injury.
Virginians living with brain injuries and their friends and family gather in Richmond once a month for this in-person support group to share their experiences and information.
Brain Injury Services of Southwest Virginia (BISSWVA) hosts a handful of monthly meetings for brain injury survivors and caregivers in Virginia.
Brain injury survivors, families, and caregivers join this monthly support group to share encouragement, support, and advice with each other.
This support group is a monthly meeting where brain injury survivors, family, and caregivers can share encouragement, support, and advice with one another. Lunch is provided.
This brain injury support group is a monthly meeting that provides encouragement, support, and advice for brain injury survivors, family, and caregivers.
Community Brain Injury Services (CBIS) helps survivors in Richmond and Newport News of brain injury with services and support intended to help them integrate into their communities. Services include support groups for both caregivers and survivors, as well as a Clubhouse program to help survivors develop work and independent living skills.
Community Brain Injury Services offers three support groups:
Family and caregivers of those with acquired brain injuries—from both the Mill House and Denbigh House—come together online for this caregiver support group to discuss their shared experiences.
Women with acquired brain injuries join together online twice a month to gather support and insight from those who understand their experiences.
The Denbigh House in conjunction with Virginia Veteran and Family Services hosts a bi-monthly meeting for veterans with brain injuries to connect in-person.
Inova Health System provides a broad spectrum of support groups for people in Northern Virginia, including support groups for survivors of traumatic brain injury. Two support groups for these communities include:
Trauma Talk is a monthly group that provides a place for survivors of traumatic injury (and their caregivers) to connect with one another and offer support in recovery. The group meets online and is hosted by the Trauma Survivors Network (TSN).
TBI Group’s monthly meeting is an opportunity for brain injury survivors, caregivers, and family members to share knowledge, resources, and coping skills with those affected by traumatic brain injuries. The group meets online and is co-hosted by the Trauma Survivors Network (TSN) and Brain Injury Services (BIS).
Brain Injury Services (BIS) offers community-based services and support for people who have experienced a brain injury and live in Northern Virginia, Fredericksburg, and the surrounding counties. Among those services are support groups for victims of brain injury and their caregivers.
These support groups are only open to Brain Injury Services clients.
Those with an acquired brain injury, along with their caregivers and families, meet virtually on even months to support each other through the challenges of brain injury recovery.
Brain injury survivors and their caregivers gather in Blacksburg each month to share their experiences and support. The location of this support group has been in flux during the pandemic, so call or email to confirm the location.
Those with brain injuries, as well as their friends, family, and caregivers, come together every month in Charlottesville to find commonality and companionship. Locations for this support group have varied during the pandemic, so call or email to confirm the location.
Eggleston, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting those with disabilities, hosts two simultaneous support groups in Norfolk each month: one for those with a brain injury, and one for their family members and loved ones. Attendees with brain injuries practice social skills, while family members learn how to address cognitive and behavioral changes.
