Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital

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Education - 2011 Circle of Honour Awards

Caron Gan

Caron Gan award winnerCaron Gan is a highly respected couple and family therapist on the family support service team within the brain injury rehab team outpatient program at Holland Bloorview. 

As a published author, researcher, clinical mentor and internationally recognized expert in the field of neurotrauma, Caron understands the profound impact that an acquired brain injury (ABI) has on individuals, families and their community.  She generously shares her knowledge and expertise, working collaboratively to produce workshops and teaching materials for clinicians who work with adolescents who have experienced neurotrauma.  

Her most recent contribution to the field is the Brain Injury Family Intervention – Adolescent (BIFI-A).  Working with Dr. Jeffrey Kreutzer, professor of Physical medicine and rehabilitation, neurosurgery and psychiatry at the Virginia Common Wealth University, Caron developed a two-day intensive workshop that trains clinicians providing family therapy to adolescents with ABI and their families.

These workshops address the lack of professional guidelines for clinicians on how best to support families of teens with an ABI. Thus far, 140 service providers have participated in the workshops, helping build capacity in over 70 organizations.

Caron has mentored many clinicians, hosting numerous case consultations and clinical supervision groups for social workers, psychologists, psychology interns and other interprofessional colleagues.

“Caron is an incredible mentor for me and for fellow clinicians,” says Valerie Lusted, Social Worker with Family Service Support. “She is a natural educator and continually seeks to cultivate the clinical skills in everyone she meets.”   

Reaching beyond the realm of clinical practice, Caron successfully engages incircle of honour logo numerous research activities - bridging the clinician and researcher roles.

“When families are managing better, then the child does better,” states Caron. “If we can train clinicians to find more effective ways to support these families – both the child and the family will have significantly better outcomes.”

Brain Injury Family Intervention (BIFI/BIFI-A): An Evidence-Based Approach (PDF: 105 KB)

2011 Award Winners