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Home > News > Psychology in rehabilitation: holding complexity, restoring coherence
It’s an opportunity to recognise the contribution psychologists and neuropsychologists make across Brainkind; working alongside other clinicians and rehabilitation support staff to help people live well with neurological conditions or after brain injury.
Here, we’re sharing a chat we had with Pieter du Toit – our new Director of Clinical Services. Pieter was previously Consultant Clinical Psychologist at our Fen House service in Ely, Cambridgeshire, and has extensive experience in this field, including working with the people we support at Brainkind.
Understanding the person, not just the problem
“Psychology helps bring together the different strands of rehabilitation: cognitive, emotional, behavioural, and social, into something that feels coherent,” Pieter explains.
“It’s not about fixing people, but about understanding how they’re adapting, what matters most to them, and how we can help support them in their recovery.
“Living with a brain injury requires long-term adjustment and rehabilitation and recovery is rarely straightforward. There are setbacks, doubts, and times when progress is hard to see. Psychologists can help the people we support and the people who matter to them cope with the ups and downs of rehabilitation and recovery by addressing psychological difficulties such as difficulties with adjustment, mood, anxiety and so on. We also support the people we work with to keep track of the bigger picture, working with the person in a holistic way, to rebuild their sense of identity and to find ways of staying psychologically well and reconnecting to what matters most to them.”
Working alongside others
Pieter is clear that psychology is one part of a collective effort.
“Our colleagues in occupational therapy, physiotherapy, speech and language therapy, nursing and our rehabilitation support workers bring expertise that is absolutely essential. What psychology adds is a way of thinking about how emotion, behaviour, and meaning link together and how that understanding can help the whole team work more coherently. When there’s shared understanding, the work feels lighter. We can see the person, not just the problems they experience. That’s when rehabilitation starts to move forward.”
Families, staff, and systems
Psychologists at Brainkind work not only with the people we support, but also with families and staff.
“Families often need space to process what’s happened; to balance hope with realism, and to understand new patterns of emotion or behaviour. Helping them stay connected and avoid burnout is part of the rehabilitation journey.”
The same applies to teams.
“Our work can be as demanding as it is rewarding and psychologists can offer a space for reflection: to think clearly, sustain compassion, and keep purpose in mind when things are difficult. That support isn’t a luxury; it’s what allows people to keep doing complex, human work well.”
Evidence, values, and practice
Pieter emphasises that psychology at Brainkind is both evidence-led and values-driven.
“Our practice draws on decades of research from cognitive rehabilitation methods to awareness and adjustment models, but it’s also grounded in values: compassion, dignity, courage, curiosity. The evidence gives us the direction; the values keep us honest.”
He adds: “Brainkind is a learning organisation. Psychology has a part to play in building systems that reflect, evaluate, and improve. Good evidence only matters if it’s connected to people’s lived experience, otherwise it’s just data on a page. That is why the contributions of our Research Fellow, Sara Da Silva Ramos, and Brainkind’s Personalisation Lead, Wendy Baylis-Wareing, so well support our work”.
A shared endeavour
Asked what psychology ultimately brings, Pieter comments:
“Perhaps perspective,” he says. “The ability to hold contradictions: progress and loss, hope and realism – and still see the person clearly. Our role isn’t to lead from above, but to deepen understanding within teams that are already skilled and committed. It’s about coherence, humility, and keeping sight of what really matters.”
A very special thank you to all our assistant psychologists for their very hard work. Thank you also to psychologists and neuropsychologists across Brainkind and to our colleagues in every discipline for keeping psychological understanding and compassion at the heart of rehabilitation.
