Webinars

  November 18,  12-1 p.m.
  Registration Form

Speaker – Dr. Cynthia L. Boyer, Ph.D.

Understanding changes in behavior, emotion, and personality after brain injury is essential to promoting recovery and improving quality of life. This session will examine the factors that contribute to these changes and highlight how they influence an individual’s ability to adapt and reintegrate after injury. Participants will gain insights into recognizing and addressing these challenges through clinical strategies that support positive outcomes.

December 16,  5:30-6:30 p.m.
  Registration Form

Description:

The holiday season can amplify stress, sensory overload, communication barriers, and emotional expectations for people living with brain injury and the families who support them. This session—led by a social worker and speech-language pathologist—offers practical, actionable strategies to navigate communication, routines, and interpersonal dynamics during the holidays. Participants will learn tools to reduce overwhelm, support autonomy, and foster meaningful connection while honoring each survivor’s needs and capacity.

Presenters:

Kelly Ann Peña, M.S., CCC-SLP, CBIST is an Assistant Professor of Speech and Language Pathology at the University of Pittsburgh and a bilingual speech-language pathologist specializing in brain injury, executive functioning, and disability navigation. Her work examines how trauma, TBI, and cognitive-communication needs are often misrecognized across educational, medical, and legal systems, particularly for bilingual and immigrant families. Before joining Pitt, she served as Assistant Clinic Director at Rutgers University, overseeing bilingual clinical operations and student training. Kelly brings a trauma-informed, culturally responsive lens to rehabilitation and is committed to developing equitable, family-centered pathways of care for brain injury survivors.

Elizabeth Van Roten, MSW, LCSW, joined the Brain Injury Alliance of NJ in March of 2023 as the Director of Support Services, where she works to help support individuals living with brain injury. She has experience working in the field of neurology, including brain injury and movement disorders. Before joining BIANJ, she worked at Columbia University Irving Medical Center’s Neurological Institute as the Outpatient Neurology Social Work Manager and Movement Disorders Social Worker. Elizabeth completed her Bachelor’s degree in psychology at Pace University and earned her Master’s degree in Social Work from Columbia University. She is a licensed in both NY and NJ. She has a particular interest in mental health and chronic conditions, healthcare disparities, and community education.

January 13, 2026, 12-1 p.m.
  Registration Form

Experiencing a (traumatic) brain injury is life altering. Parenting after a brain injury can be daunting and equally life altering. Join us for an hour-long presentation and discussion on how individuals who are living with a mild to moderate traumatic brain injury can modify parenting responsibilities and remain effective. A few of the topics to be discussed include changes in family dynamics, keeping children safe and healthy, supporting children’s education, managing their activities, and providing parental emotional support all while simultaneously navigating your symptoms of fatigue, headaches, pain, anxiety, depression, and decreased cognitive capacity.

Presenters:

Dr. Kimberly Beckwith McGuire received her doctorate in clinical psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University in San Diego, California. She is board certified in Clinical Health Psychology through the American Board of Professional Psychology.  A staff psychologist at Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation (KIR) in West Orange, New Jersey since 2006, Dr. McGuire provides individual and group psychological services using a biopsychosocial/spiritual approach for individuals diagnosed with stroke, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, amputation, multiple sclerosis, cancer, and other illnesses.

Dr. Jill Brooks is a clinical neuropsychologist and founder of Head to Head Consultants in Gladstone, New Jersey. She holds degrees in speech and language pathology from Northwestern University and the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Miami. A former Chief of Speech and Language Pathology at Jackson Memorial Medical Center and Associate Professor of Neurology and Clinical Neuropsychologist at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Dr. Brooks has authored numerous publications on concussion, neurogenic speech disorders, and executive dysfunction. She played a leading role in developing New Jersey’s statewide concussion management policy and serves on multiple state advisory councils related to brain injury. Dr. Brooks’ private practice work focuses on evaluation and treatment of neurologic issues such as concussion, ADHD, learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and epilepsy. Her work on concussion in female athletes has been featured by ESPN, Good Morning America, and Twin Cities Public Television, and she continues to integrate mindfulness and yoga into her neuropsychological practice.