Let's Party

Heidi Nadobny, Recreational Therapist

Midland NeuroSkills Center

To the client it’s simply a party, but I like to call it an “acclimation” activity. It’s a nice way for our younger clients who are having issues getting back into the swing of socializing, and spending time with friends to get reacquainted.

I like to set up a small party in a non-stressful environment, invite the client and friends to in a situation where they can interact with each other with video games, and other fun activities they enjoy. The purpose is to address issues of non-communication between the client and his or her friends, and to answer any questions they might have about what’s going on. It’s also a great opportunity to talk about how, although the client may have some visible or obvious differences than prior to the accident, they are the same person. I emphasize the importance of still doing activities together, not being afraid to talk to the client about the same things they talked about prior to the accident and so on. A lot of the times the client’s peers are more hesitant and fearful of talking to the client than the client is of talking to them. But after an afternoon of fun everyone is usually more at ease.