Testimonials
The funny thing about brain injury is that not only do you suddenly have to re-learn things, but the brain that needs to learn them...isn’t the same brain you’re so familiar with. It can be frustrating, mystifying, and even heart-breaking. Neuro Rehab Associates has been the GREATEST thing I’ve done for myself after my TBI.
I have seen 3 of their therapists over the years to treat different symptoms, and all are great. Super friendly, approachable, professional, knowledgeable, and understanding staff. You can check out books and CDs they have in their library. And there are always parking spots available! They really work with you to figure out what your goals are and how to best achieve them. They understand it’s an ongoing process, and you won’t feel overly stressed.
I now have way more understanding of what can trigger my headaches and how to best deal with them. I feel like I’ve now really broken down many barriers in congnition that appeared after my brain injury. I am currently taking my VERY LAST CLASS at Montana State University, and I don’t know if I would have made it here without Neurorehab.
Have also attended several concussion support group events and they are great! Not your typical type of support group - you’ll have fun (and snacks!) not just sit around in chairs in a circle. We’ve had barbeques, done a trauma-informed yoga session, painted, done secret santa, etc. All sorts of people come to the meetings, both brain injury survivors and any supporters/caregivers they want to bring along. And it’s totally fine if you’ll be arriving late or leaving early. Kathy understands people’s schedules vary; she sends out e-mails a couple weeks in advance to decide on a meeting date and time that will work best for everyone.
And they accept medicaid! This is probably important as many brain injured people are unable to work or unable to work full time and may qualify for medicaid.
If you’re like me, you may have also had a hard time communicating with your doctors how things are different after brain injury. I had my test results faxed to my primary care provider and that helped her understand.
I have complete confidence in the people at neurorehab, and I strongly recommend it!
I could rave about Neuro Rehab on and on. But one skill I learned (or rather, “re-learned” post TBI) through my sessions is time management! So I will end this here.
NC
Neuro Rehab Associates has been the GREATEST thing I’ve done for myself after my TBI., Concussion
For explosive related concussion. Cathy was great, and most importantly was able to give me information on how to recover quicker and more thoroughly. Having someone listen and talk with, who specializes in these kinds of injuries is as helpful as the therapy itself. I would definitely recommend anyone suffering from post concussion syndrome to talk with Cathy, even if speech has nothing to do with your symptoms. A speech pathologist is a specialist in cognitive recovery.
CW
Blast Injury, Concussion
My husband has Alzheimer's. The results of Cathy's evaluation gave me insights regarding his expressive and receptive language and suggestions on how to prompt and encourage him.
GW, Alzheimer's Disease
In May of 2003, I incurred a mild traumatic brain injury. I was rear-ended by a semi-truck while I was at a stoplight. I didn’t incur any external lacerations other than bruising, but my brain received a lot of trauma from the accident.
I lost significant memory similar to that of a stroke. I also lost all of my emotions. I began having spontaneous panic attacks and also lost my ability to digest foods. Any stimulation to my brain (vibrations, visual, audio, etc.) would cause my brain to shut down until I rested for several hours. Riding in a car was very difficult because of the visual and vibrational stimulation to my brain.
My neurologist was only able to give me prescription drugs to help me sleep, but I was also drug-sensitive, so there wasn’t anything else she could do for me. However, the best thing she did for me was to refer me to Cathy Fisher.
I began seeing Cathy Fisher about a year after my accident. Until then, I struggled with organizing my life and my memory was still very challenged. I still had not regained my emotions.
Cathy’s work with me helped to identify where my new deficiencies were and she began working with me on reading and remembering aspects through her training. I would never have guessed that I needed a speech pathologist to help me regain a new way of living my life. Cathy taught me how to keep my life organized by keeping a large planner with a calendar. She taught me how to write things down on my planner so I could remember things I needed to do. I still use what she taught me today, 8 years later. Cathy’s patience and persistence with me gave me the confidence that I needed in order to continue healing and to give my life incredible organization. Through the process of working with her, I studied real estate to help develop new pathways in my brain. My memory was still not intact and my emotions were still not returning, but I was able to finish my studies because of her work with me.
She retrained my brain to be organized instead of scattered. All of these things eventually helped me to have less anxiety and fewer panic attacks.
Today, I function as a normal person. I am changed, but better than I was before the accident. The level of commitment that Cathy gave to me, with her expertise, was invaluable. When my family was giving up on me, Cathy was there to push me to overcome and succeed.
I cannot express enough gratitude to Cathy for her time and commitment to helping me to work through my difficulties. Cathy’s expertise and commitment to my healing was the most solid part of my recovery and healing.
DF, Concussion
I love working with Cathy Fisher!
From the first time I met Cathy, I felt welcome and comfortable with her.
Cathy’s consistent guidance, knowledge, patience and cheerful encouragement helped me better understand what I was dealing with regarding my traumatic brain injury and how to heal from it.
An unfortunate head injury, and subsequent TBI, had left me with lingering symptoms long after the outer bruising & minor stitches were removed.
Cathy tailored a program to fit my unique situation and we went to work. The methods she uses are powerful, well researched and get results! Her training & personal insights were invaluable to my progress and have allowed me to find healing in ways that I could not have achieved on my own. I have great respect for Cathy and would recommend her to anyone.
LO,
I highly recommend Michelle Rosen to anyone seeking Occupational Therapy.
Michelle’s carefully designed program has helped me recover from a traumatic brain injury that left me with lingering vision problems.
She has patiently worked with me through the many ups and downs that I have experienced while creating a flexible program that continues to coax the healing from within me. She does all this with a smile on her face and truly is a joy to work with!
Michelle is so good at her job that she makes therapy feel almost effortless which speaks to her depth and experience. She is exceptional at her job!
LO, Concussion
Approximately two and a half years ago I was involved in an automobile accident that, among many things resulted in multiple strokes. I spent 33 days in ICU and then was flown to Craig Hospital for another 5 weeks. Upon my return to Bozeman, I was referred to Neuro Rehab Associates. I was reluctant to add one more thing to my plate at that point, but luckily I did take the time to attend.
The reason I was hesitant at first was that I thought that I could handle everything on my own with the support network I already had in place. In my mind, my orthopedic issues were more important and I did not feel that cognitively I had any issues. In hindsight, however, I am so glad that I did make Speech and OT a priority. Because as it turns out, I did have some deficits I was unaware of. The therapists at Neuro Rehab Associates helped me to see these deficits and gave me techniques to compensate for them. To this day I still use many of those strategies, especially the organizational ones.
I also really appreciate how they took a holistic approach to my well-being. They not only worked with me in their areas of expertise, but went above and beyond to work with my doctors, physical therapists, insurance providers, and other professionals to coordinate a better treatment plan for my recovery. They really took the time to make sure that I was getting the best care possible.
One of the main reasons I would recommend Neuro Rehab Associates to others is the team approach they have. It was apparent that they work together to provide a cohesive treatment for their clients.
I will always be grateful to Cathy and Darcy for their commitment to my recovery; they really made a difference in where I am today. I would recommend Neuro Rehab Associates to anyone who has had a brain injury or other neurological disorders. In fact, I recently have sent my daughter to them after she was in a ski accident.
TD, Brain Injury
I have known and worked with Cathy Fisher many years. Over the years we have collaborated in developing a holistic approach to treating individuals with traumatic brain injury and other neurologic disorders. I have seen the progress my patients have made while working with Cathy not only from a cognitive and physical standpoint but from a quality of life standpoint as it has been an avenue to understanding their own limitations, expectations, and goals for recovery. Cathy has been a tremendous asset for individuals in need of speech therapy. In addition, Neuro rehab offers Occupational Therapy with Michelle and Darci who are as equally talented and gifted as Cathy. The teamwork and collaboration they offer their patients are tops. Montana is blessed to have such a caring and gifted group of professionals.
Dr. Sherry Reid, Neurologist,
I could not be happier with Neuro Rehab. From the initial professional evaluation of my brain condition following surgery through effective mental exercises for both Speech Therapy and Occupational Therapy and on-going encouragement and at-home on-line exercises to regular evaluations and feedback. They have a wonderful, caring team at Neuro Rehab.
RH, Brain Tumor
Neuro Rehab was invaluable to me. It helped me get through the early anxiety and frustration of memory loss. Cathy gave me exercises that I could do at home on the computer which allowed me to feel and see I was actually improving. She also helped me understand that my feelings and lack of confidence were normal. In only a few sessions I felt I had gained tools that were easy for me to execute. Learning to give time, time put my mind at ease.
Thank you
MW, Concussion
Much of my husband's career was spent in administration, but a stroke damaged the "executive function" of his brain. Cathy gave practical tips to help him be more organized.
GW, Stroke
The shock and sadness of hearing that a beloved family member has Alzheimer’s are hard to digest at first. We chose to be pro-active and with the help of our Primary Care doctor (Mike Spinelli) and Neurologist (Dr. Richard Popwell) we were referred to Cathy Fisher at Neuro Rehab.
We received a gracious and warm welcome and Cathy Fisher’s easy manner and patience made it very easy for our family member to relax and engage:
something we had noticed was increasingly difficult for her. As in many of these cases, her long term memory was excellent, and while we enjoyed hearing about the past, we wanted to help her live in the present and make each day count. Cathy’s suggestions were, and continue to be, very helpful in daily life as our loved one struggles to find words and remember recent events. My Dad and I participate in word jumbles and crossword puzzles on a daily basis and make a game of trying to remember precise words, current events and articles or books she has read.
We would highly recommend Cathy Fisher to families wishing to help loved ones with this debilitating illness.
Palmer Family, Alzheimer's Disease
Cathy has helped us through the most difficult time of our lives, an unforeseen accident that left my husband a changed person. When Todd started seeing Cathy we were at a loss of how to cope with these changes and deal with daily tasks. Cathy gave Todd the ability to cope with and manage daily tasks in ways that we had never thought of. It has been five years since Todd's accident and Todd continues to use the strategies that Cathy put in place. I'm not sure what we would do without her.
Julie Jensen, Brain Injury
I was in a sixty mile an hour head-on car accident last summer (2012), that resulted in many injuries that I was treated for at the hospital. My doctor recommended that I go to Neuro Rehab for my head trauma to help me regain my memory, mental capacities, and higher thought processing. I had to withdraw from the university I was attending, due to the fact that I had lost all my short term memory, even though I was doing well and it was only a week before finals. After multiple sessions with Cathy Fisher, I had made such good progress that I was able to return to school full time and was functioning at a level three times higher than I had after my initial head trauma. I am so grateful for all the information, guidance and treatment that I received at Neuro Rehab. I would highly recommend that anyone that is having issues after a head injury takes the time to gel help to regain their mental well being by seeing Cathy Fisher at Neuro Rehab.
Samnthia, Concussion
I would like to thank Cathy Fisher again for everything she's done to help me with my Mild TBI resulting from a car accident. Of all the Professionals that I had contact with, she was one of the most understanding, caring and helpful. While under her care, I was extremely concerned (scared) about what would be the ultimate outcome with my head problems. Thanks to all of her efforts and understanding, my anxiety was greatly reduced which allowed me to focus on healing and moving forward.
Although I am not who I was prior to the accident, I'm much better and have learned to accept and cope with the deficits which remain.