Success after Brain Injury

Consider your emotional baggage when you still want to learn!  Today we are speaking with Laurel who had a brain injury at age 17. She lost her hearing in one ear, but that did not stop her. Laurel became an attorney, a licensed professional counselor (LPC), and is now a board member at BIN. She never gave up her quest to learn and graduated with her law degree and still teaches continuing LPC classes quarterly. Running four times a week keeps her recovery going strong. Although she still has challenges, including time management, swallowing, eating, and partial hearing loss, she has found great compensation strategies. Laurel manages her time by returning emails and phone calls to specified times. No matter your age when you have a brain injury, you can still achieve great things.

Transcript

0:00

Instrumental

Carrie: 0:10

Hi, I'm Carrie, a stroke survivor and a member of BIND, and today we are welcoming Laurel, an attorney, a licensed professional counselor, she also happens to be a survivor and a member on the board here at the Brain Injury Network. So welcome, Laurel.

Brian: 0:25

Welcome to BINDWAVES, the official podcast of the Brain Injury Network of Dallas. I'm Brian White, BIND's Executive Director. On each episode, we'll be providing insight into the brain injury community. We'll be talking to members and professionals regarding their stories and the important role of BIND's Clubhouse. We work as a team to inspire hope, community, and a sense of purpose to survivors, caregivers, and the public. Thank you for tuning into BINDWAVES. BINDWAVES Let's get on with the show.

Carrie: 0:57

Thank you so much for having me, Carrie, and really excited about spending this time with you. I'm excited too. It should be fun. So for our listeners, I know you obviously, um, but for our listeners, just tell us a little bit about yourself.

Laurel: 1:10

Well, uh, right now I am an attorney and also a licensed professional counselor supervisor and my law practice, uh, is composed of two different aspects. One is family law and divorce. The other is statewide representation of other therapists in the state, such as social workers, LPCs, LMFTs, psychologists, LCDCs, those type of licenses. The whole alphabet. We don't know what any of that means.

Carrie: 1:47

Mental health licenses. Okay. And you're also the mom of a sweet little pet.

Laurel: 1:53

Oh, yes I am. Miss Lucy Girl. And I have a 20 year old son who is the most adorable person in my life.

Carrie: 2:04

Wonderful.

Laurel: 2:04

Wonderful.

Carrie: 2:05

So, um, we're just going to jump off in the bat and say, So, how did you acquire your brain injury?

Laurel: 2:11

I, I, um, had my brain injury when I was 17. And I had numerous physical issues before we actually figured out what it was. Um, so I had an ulcer. Um, I had, the doctor thought I had diabetes. Um, there were just numerous tests that I undertook. Finally, I lost my hearing in my right ear. And I was taken to an audiologist and the audiologist was the one that discovered that I had a mass, um, in my head.

Carrie: 2:58

Oh, wow.

Laurel: 2:59

Um, and that that was the reason I couldn't hear. And so, I, at that point, went to, uh, the hospital, um, to have some tests run to Find out a little bit more. And this was, uh, I actually had the surgery, the, the surgery, um, to remove the brain tumor, December 26, 1979. And so at that time there was no MRIs, no PET scans, no ultrasound and, um, CAT scans had started to be used on patients. Um, early in the 1970s, so it was actually still a very new procedure, but it was one that was extremely helpful in defining the fact that I had a brain tumor.

Carrie: 3:53

Wow, that's crazy to think that technology has come so far. So far. We're so lucky, but so you were 17, so you had your brain surgery while you were still in high school. That's correct. I was my senior year. Oh wow. Did that impact, I mean, make it harder for you to graduate? Did it take longer? Or did you just power on through and get it done?

Laurel: 4:15

I mean, I was not capable of studies for pretty much my whole senior year. Interestingly enough, I had done enough of my classes so that the only class that I really needed to Um, graduate was English. And, um, the first part of the school year, we didn't know yet what I had. And so I would just throw up in the morning and go to school. And it just got to be routine and I, it's just one of those things that's kind of like putting lobster in a pot where it just gets warmer and warmer and warmer and you don't realize it. I mean, I was having so many, symptoms and I just kind of managed day to day, um, and then when they figured it out, it was halfway through the year. And so I pretty much had not really done well or efficiently in my first semester. And, um, I had a really, really nice English teacher named Mrs. Crowe, um, at Richardson High School, and she let me miss, like, a whole section of school, and I'm not sure if they would have done that today, but back then, um, I mean, I was an honor student, and I had, you know, I was in all honor classes, and an excellent student, um, And, um, so she just let me not do stuff. Um, and it really, uh, allowed me to graduate on time. So, it's kind of interesting to think back to that period of time because Here, girls were worried about what they were going to wear to homecoming, and I was worried about whether I was going to throw up that day or not. And, you know, other people were worrying about what dress they were going to wear to prom, and I was trying to figure out what wig I was going to wear to prom. So, it was definitely a different reality for me. I had a very supportive boyfriend, David Connell, and his parents were wonderful. Max and Pat Connell. Um, and so, um, You know, it's just, it was a very different experience for me than for most high schoolers.

Carrie: 7:03

I would say so, um, that's great. But it's good that you had a support system, and it's good that your teachers were that trusting, because yeah, I don't know that that would happen today. Yeah. But, I mean, it's also impressive that, I mean, a lot of people with a brain injury, you know, we're It's hard to study, even after we've gone through our recovery and our cognitive training and all that, but you didn't only graduate high school, you went on and got a law degree. So that's pretty impressive. So where did you go to law school and how did that all work out?

Laurel: 7:34

Well, I, I had really started wanting to be a lawyer when I was 15 or 16. I'm not even sure why. Um, it was, it was something that not only was a goal of mine, but it was something I was going to do. So, I didn't really let Or I didn't try to let what had happened to me interfere with my ability to go on with school. And for some reason I was able to do it. So, uh, I went to Baylor Law School, you know. Sic em Bears. Sic em Bears. Um, had a, you know, really good experience there. Small classes and, um, that was definitely a really good law school for me to go to.

Carrie: 8:25

It's a great school. I'm biased, I went there too. Not to the law school, but my cousin and my uncle went to the law school. It's, it's a good school. It's a good school. Yeah, awesome. Well, um, I guess do you think that your brain injury in any way impacted your career as an attorney?

Laurel: 8:43

I don't think really as an attorney so much. I mean, I think, Because I went through that experience, and then I went on after I became an attorney to go become a licensed professional counselor, that I think really impacted my ability to be a good attorney, meaning the type of work I do is very emotional, doing family law, and I think my experiences and my education and background as an LPC, as a counselor, really helps out with the family law situation.

Carrie: 9:23

What made you decide to get your LPC? Was it just the way the law firm was going or was there another reason for that?

Laurel: 9:30

No, it didn't have anything. In fact, when I started to do it, it was like a totally separate thing in my mind. And it was a desire of mine to learn more. One of the things that is different now than back then in the 70s when I had this is there was no understanding of the connection of counseling or mental health to brain injury. And, you know, nowadays you have social workers that work in children's hospitals, other hospitals. You have, uh, counselors that work, um, you know, rehabilitation or the other brain injury rehabilitation facilities. And back then, there was just no understanding at all of the connection between the medical aspect of a brain injury and the emotional aspect. And I recognized that I had a lot of emotional baggage, obstacles, issues because of my brain injury that had not been dealt with that I wanted to learn more about. Um, and I think that's why I decided to start going to counsel, the counseling school. Um, I mean, I started to go to counseling and then I enjoyed it so much, I was like, maybe this is something that I could do. So, I decided to take one class and see what it felt like for me. And, I just enjoyed it so much. So I just kept going until I got my, uh, counseling degree. And then I took my state license.

Carrie: 11:31

That's awesome. That's really great. Um, do you think that, because you had a brain injury that, that, like, helps you in your, to be a counselor?

Laurel: 11:41

Oh, absolutely. Absolutely, because I can relate so much to so many things that people talk about. I mean, you said it yourself, I'm a survivor, which means there have been experiences and things that I've gone through. I know that one thing that I experienced much more severely, um, probably, uh, I don't know, 10 years after my, my surgery was, I had survivor's guilt. Um, why was I able? To, you know, fairly recover, um, at least it looks like that from the outside that I've recovered and able to go on to, you know, I have two master's degrees. I have a law degree and on paper it looks like a successful resume. Why was I able to do that? And there's so many people who tried just as hard and who are just as worthy that do not have the same experiences. Um, and so I know that that was something I really struggled with for, for many years.

Carrie: 12:59

That's interesting. Um, Because, I mean, we all know every brain injury is different. I mean, the listeners have heard this. Y'all hear us say it all the time. Um, but that is one thing that I try to tell new injuries, new brain injury patients. Don't compare yourself to other brain injury patients. When you're in the big therapy room and you're all working on your PT and their PT and you see someone that you feel like has had the exact same kind of stroke as you, or whatever it may be, and they're using both their arms and they're working hard and you've got, like me, you've got one arm that just won't work and won't function. Don't focus on that other person and how well they're doing and how bad you're doing. You've got to focus on you and what you can do and work on it. And like, like I said, my, you know, my left arm has never come back and I don't focus on that as a negative. I had a wonderful OT who taught me. How to live with that, with it not being functioning, and so I'm not, well, I'm not going to say I'm not jealous. I'm a little jealous, but fortunately I had finished college before my brain injury. I don't think I would even have the energy or the desire to go back and do that now, but then again, I'm a little older now too, so.

Laurel: 14:08

Well, I think so much of societal expectations are in, in some way, you know, hope. People see that. People experience that. People know that. Um, and there's so much unknown about brain injuries and appropriate ways to talk with people with brain injuries about, um, kind of what's going on with them.

Carrie: 14:42

Sure. Yeah, and I think the counseling is, you know, a lot of people don't realize maybe you do need counseling. I mean, I didn't want it. But, you know, I took advantage of what I could and, but yeah, I get that. Um, but, so how do you use your LPC now? Do you use it within your law firm? Or is that just, is it like two separate jobs?

Laurel: 15:01

For about ten years, I did two separate jobs. Um, and then I decided to just focus on my law career. So, now I have, um, my LPC license, but I do not practice as an LPC at all. I do not practice as a counselor. So I just use my counseling skills with my family law clients. And obviously when I'm assisting counselors with a complaint they got with the state or, you know, needing a deposition or records requests, something like that. Of course, I'm able to draw upon both my legal knowledge and also my, my experience as an OPC.

Carrie: 15:50

That's awesome. Okay. Um, so, um, I'm going to take a quick little break here and just remind our listeners to go ahead and click that like button, click that share button. If you're on YouTube, click that notify button. Just click all those happy buttons. Okay. So, now, what was I going to say? Um, I guess one of the, um, one of our members asked, so like, what type of time management skills do you use to go between, well we didn't even talk about that yet, let's back up for ask that question. So, I mentioned you're also on the board here at BIND. Correct. So, how did that happen?

Laurel: 16:29

Really, it started because I started giving money to BIND and the executive director would write me sweet notes thanking me for the donation and so at some point, I was doing a lot of dog rescue stuff, which I really enjoyed. At some point, I decided that I wanted to make a change. And so, I was aware of BIND, um, through kind of that interaction. And, um, so, yeah. So here you are. Here I am. I do want to say though that I do have, um, still have, uh, symptoms of my brain tumor or my brain injury that are not readily noticeable. Um, one of the difficulties I have is swallowing. Um, and so, Um, I had to really learn to eat again. And that swallowing is probably one of the biggest problems I still have. Is choking on my food or swallowing or things like that. Um, my hearing did not come back 100%, but it's fairly good. Um, and then I think you and I have talked before about the fact that Every once in a while I just become unconscious. We all have those brain farts, yeah. So, um, fortunately that's never happened while I've been at work or while I've been in the courtroom. Um, you know, I think God watches out for me. But, um, You know, I don't want to give the impression that everything's rosy for me. Um, that I've, you know, 100 percent recovered and I'm totally fine.

Carrie: 18:29

Right. I mean, we all say that, you know, brain injury recovery is forever and there are still, and I appreciate you admitting that, because a lot of people think that, Yeah, I mean you, you're one of those that it's more of the silent disease, you know, you look 100 percent normal, 100 percent fine, there's nothing wrong with you. Um, so I appreciate you being honest and telling us that, you know, there are days that you still have fatigue or brain farts or whatever you want to call them and I'm, I was laughing at you as you were talking about the swallowing because I had issues with that too. I mean, A lot of, you know, stroke patients have that problem and the aspiration and so it's kind of funny. It's kind of a running joke here at BIND. Um, we have so many speech therapists on staff and like when we're eating lunch or drink water the wrong way and someone's just coughing and coughing and other people are like freaking out and the speech therapists are where they're just going and they're just aspirating. They're fine. They'll be fine. Just give them a minute.

Laurel: 19:22

So when I start start choking, you know, my my family looks at me like, okay, is it gonna resolve by itself? And then finally, if I'm still choking, choking, choking, someone will come over and pat me on the back and help me, you know, dissolve, whatever, or resolve, whatever, and then I'm like, okay, I'm fine again, so. Fortunately, my family has learned that they don't freak out anymore.

Carrie: 19:51

Yeah, mine too.

Laurel: 19:52

Yeah, they've just kind of adjusted, right?

Carrie: 19:55

They kind of have to. Again, it's not just us that have the injury, it's the whole family. So they have to relearn how to do that. Yeah, it's definitely a new interesting thing and it's awesome that um, I mean I know you got married since then too so, you know, he's learned how to deal with that. I know he helps you with a lot of stuff like your CECU training and that's kind of, you know, I know you do a lot of that. You do a lot of training for the LPCs, for other LPCs.

Laurel: 20:25

Yes, yes, I do. I have almost a monthly webinar where I am able to, um, you know, Give a one hour CEU. Uh, my next one is October 4th. And um, so I'll put a plug in for that. Feel free to look at my website laurelclement. com if you want to sign up.

Carrie: 20:51

Awesome. Most of our listeners, I think, would know, but maybe not, and I know, but I'll let you tell us. What is a CEU?

Laurel: 20:58

Continuing Education Unit, and that is something that a therapist, a licensed therapist, would need yearly for the stay.

Carrie: 21:09

Okay, yeah, so you have to have so many hours every year to renew your license or whatever it is.

Laurel: 21:13

Yeah, it's actually every other year, but You don't want to wait until the last one.

Carrie: 21:17

Right, exactly. So, now I'm going to go back to that question I was going to ask earlier. So, what types of time management skills do you use that help you, like, travel between being a board member, between being an attorney, between being an LPC, between being Lucy's mom, between being a mom mom, between being a wife? I mean, that's a lot of hats.

Laurel: 21:37

That is a lot of hats. One of the things that I have learned to do is Narrow down my methods of communication. I don't give out my cell phone to anybody but family members or really close friends. Um, I either text or email. Um, I don't have, um, and even if people do call me, I have a voicemail message in another language that usually, uh, discourages people from leaving a message. Um, and so, for me, narrowing down the communication methods really helped me to be able to keep my calendar straight.

Carrie: 22:28

That's interesting. That's a good idea. What would you say is your biggest takeaway from your brain injury? I mean, like you said, you were so young.

Laurel: 22:39

Well, for me, probably my health. I, um, I have probably worked out four times a week for 45 years. Good for you. So I would say that not being able to walk, um, not being able to eat, not being able to write has a extreme impact on your appreciation, I think, for being able to do those things. And so, I really try to exercise, you know, and I love exercising because I recognize that that is one of the ways that I can stay healthy and be in better health and not go back to, uh, That person that couldn't even get out of bed.

Carrie: 23:38

Good for you. Yeah, that's good. I like that. Um, so what advice would you give to other survivors or new survivors? I should say it's maybe not just other other in general, but.

Laurel: 23:48

Well, I think you talked about it yourself And that is recognize that every brain injury is different. Recognize that everyone has different um, capabilities and abilities. I think one of the things that's great about, you know, 2024 is the fact that there are so many support groups. I would encourage survivors to take up, um, you know, whatever support group they can. I know on the website for the paid rehabilitation, they have a list of, uh, Brain Injury Support Groups all across the state. Um, I know there are numerous Facebook groups. I belong to a couple of them. And, um, I think there are ways to get support that was not available years ago.

Carrie: 24:46

There's ways to get support that wasn't available 15 years ago when I had mine. So, yeah, it definitely changes a lot. But, Laurel, I want to thank you so much for coming and giving some of your time and being so honest and sharing with us today.

Laurel: 24:58

Thank you so much Carrie, for having me. I really appreciate and love the organization of Bind and I think it really contributes a lot.

Carrie: 25:06

Thank you so much. Alright, thanks. Okay. Um, so I just wanna also remind our listeners, um, if you wanna contact us, of course you can email us at bind ways@thebind.org or you can find us on our website@thebind.org slash find waves. Um, also you can find us on Instagram. At BINDWAVES, I encourage you to follow us on all those places. Follow us on Facebook at just the BIN Brain Injury Network. And if you want to become a member or volunteer for more information, again, visit the website, thebind. org. And as we always say, don't forget to like, share, subscribe on all your favorite platforms. Remember, if you want to watch us, we're on YouTube, and you can say you can watch us and listen to us there. And don't forget, you can find all our episodes on all your favorite platforms on Thursdays. So, until next time!

25:56

We hope you've enjoyed listening to BIND Waves and continue to support BIND and our non profit mission. We support brain injury survivors as they reconnect into the life, the community, and their workplace. And we couldn't do that without great listeners like you. We appreciate each and every one of you. Continue watching. Until next time. Until next time.