DOWNLOAD SLIDES PDF

About the Presentation:
Identity disruption is increasingly recognized as one of the most significant yet under-addressed consequences of acquired brain injury. While contemporary neuropsychological rehabilitation emphasizes participation and meaningful everyday functioning, clinical assessment and intervention often remain primarily focused on cognitive impairments and functional limitations. This presentation argues that identity should be considered a central target of neuropsychological rehabilitation. Drawing on contemporary models of identity reconstruction, self-discrepancy, dialogical self, and person-centered rehabilitation, the talk will examine how brain injury alters individuals' sense of self and contributes to emotional distress, social withdrawal, and reduced participation. Practical clinical examples will illustrate how an identity-informed perspective can enrich neuropsychological interviewing, case formulation, rehabilitation goal setting, and therapeutic decision-making. The presentation aims to provide clinicians and researchers with a conceptual framework for understanding identity change after brain injury and to highlight practical ways of integrating identity into everyday neuropsychological rehabilitation.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this presentation, participants will be able to:

1. Describe the role of identity disruption in emotional adjustment, participation, and rehabilitation following acquired brain injury.
2. Recognize clinical strategies for exploring identity during neuropsychological assessment and rehabilitation, including identity-oriented interviewing and the use of self-discrepancies in case formulation.
3. Discuss how an identity-informed approach can enhance person-centered rehabilitation and support meaningful functional outcomes after brain injury

About the Presenters

Christian Salas, PhD

Dr. Christian Salas is a Chilean clinical neuropsychologist and psychoanalytic psychotherapist. He has practiced as a clinical neuropsychologist both in Chile and in the United Kingdom, He earned his Ph.D. in Psychology from Bangor University (Wales, UK). Currently, Dr. Salas serves as an Associate Professor at the Centre for Human Neuroscience and Neuropsychology at Diego Portales University in Chile. He also directs the Clinical Neuropsychology Unit, the country’s only specialized facility providing low-cost neuropsychological assessments and long-term rehabilitation for individuals with acquired brain injuries.

Dr. Salas has been instrumental in developing postgraduate neuropsychological rehabilitation programs and training opportunities for clinical neuropsychologists in Chile. He is past president of the Chilean Society of Clinical Neuropsychology. His research and clinical interests focus on emotional and personality changes after brain injury, the interplay between cognitive/emotional changes and social isolation, and the integration of psychodynamic psychotherapy to improve socio-emotional adjustment and well-being for this population. He has published more than 60 scholarly articles and book chapters on these subjects.