New Support Group Facilitator Brings Personal Perspective
Brittany Soch, the stroke program coordinator for Carondelet Neurological Institute, brings a dual perspective to the Brain Injury Association of Arizona support groups she now helps to facilitate.
As a brain injury professional, Brittany understands both the clinical and personal challenges survivors of brain injury face. But her experience as the relative of a brain injury survivor is what ultimately spurred her interest in becoming a BIAAZ support group facilitator.
In addition to her work, Brittany has a 10-month-old who keeps her busy, but she also enjoys being outdoors. That includes hiking and exploring national parks.
New Support Group Facilitator Brings Personal Perspective
Brittany Soch, the stroke program coordinator for Carondelet Neurological Institute, brings a dual perspective to the Brain Injury Association of Arizona support groups she now helps to facilitate.
As a brain injury professional, Brittany understands both the clinical and personal challenges survivors of brain injury face. But her experience as the relative of a brain injury survivor is what ultimately spurred her interest in becoming a BIAAZ support group facilitator.
In addition to her work, Brittany has a 10-month-old who keeps her busy, but she also enjoys being outdoors. That includes hiking and exploring national parks.
For over 15 years, BIAAZ has facilitated both virtual and in-person support groups in Tucson.
Brittany said she’s looking forward to continuing the tradition of “creating a safe and open environment for people where they can share without being judged.”
When she was 8-year-old, Brittany’s sister, 10, sustained a traumatic brain injury, or TBI, after falling off a spooked horse. Witnessing the aftermath of the accident, including the way it changed her sister’s personality, was deeply formative for Brittany. She especially remembers how the changes in her sister impacted the entire family’s dynamics.
“I understand how all the people around the TBI need support,” Brittany said.
Her interest in the more physical aspects of brain injury also has its roots in Brittany’s childhood. Both she and her father have endured lifelong migraines. After working in data and analytics, helping to audit and accredit healthcare programs, Brittany became a nurse in 2019. She has worked in outpatient programs with children who sustained sports-related TBIs.
In addition to her work, Brittany has a 10-month-old who keeps her busy, but she also enjoys being outdoors. That includes hiking and exploring national parks.
“The most relaxed I ever am is floating on a kayak,” she said.
BIAAZ offers nine support groups for survivors of all types of brain injury as well as caregivers and loved ones of survivors.
For more information or assistance registering, reach out to info@biaaz.org, call our Helpline at 888-500-9165, or text 520-310-3301.
Christina Eichelkraut is a recovering print journalist who founded Christina Copy Co. in 2011. When her keyboard isn’t clacking, she bakes complex artisan bread, nerds out on political science, uses her fountain pens to write to pen pals the world over, and reads long past her bedtime in a joyful disregard of her alleged adulthood. Christina earned her B.A. in Mass Communications with an emphasis in print journalism in 2006 from Franklin Pierce University.
ABOUT BRAIN INJURY ASSOCIATION OF ARIZONA
The Brain Injury Association of Arizona (BIAAZ) is the only statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of adults and children with all types of brain injuries through prevention, advocacy, awareness and education. BIAAZ also houses the Arizona Brain Health Resource Center, a collection of educational information and neuro-specific resources for brain injury survivors, caregivers, family members and professionals.
What began in 1983 as a grassroots effort has grown into a strong statewide presence, providing valuable life-long resources and community support for individuals with all types of brain trauma at no charge.