CDP Presents: CogSMART/Compensatory Cognitive Training for Service Members and Veterans with Neuropsychiatric Conditions

This webinar will describe Compensatory Cognitive Training (CCT) and Cognitive Symptom Management and Rehabilitation Therapy (CogSMART) for individuals with neuropsychiatric conditions, including traumatic brain injury and psychiatric illnesses. These interventions focus on teaching strategies to improve organization, attention, learning, memory, cognitive flexibility, problem-solving, and planning, rather than extensive drills and practice.

In other words, CCT/CogSMART emphasizes teaching participants how to improve their cognitive skills by using strategies and practicing their strategy use in the community. Implementation practice helps turn these strategies into habits, so they can be used automatically in the real world. By improving cognitive abilities, CCT/CogSMART strategies can help people perform better in their everyday activities and reach their goals pertaining to school, work, social functioning, and independent living. CCT has been successful for people with cognitive challenges resulting from many types of neurological and psychiatric conditions. Results from randomized controlled trials will be reviewed, and key components of the intervention will be described and demonstrated. Clinical aspects of intervention delivery (e.g., identifying candidates, linking cognitive strategies with rehabilitation goals) will be discussed.

Learning Objectives:

After this webinar, participants will be able to:

  1. Differentiate compensatory and restorative interventions to improve cognition in people with psychiatric disorders.
  2. Categorize domains of cognitive functioning targeted in CogSMART/CCT.
  3. Demonstrate how to link cognitive strategies with individual rehabilitation goals.