The Family Experiential Model (FEM) described in this article is a therapeutic "navigation tool" for families traversing the recovery process with their loved one after brain injury. Its conception furnishes a personal voice and the pragmatic "stoplight model" depicts how the family's myriad of powerful emotions affects the chosen path in the rehabilitation and recovery process. As an example of mentalizing, the FEM is a healing tool that instills mutual insight and empathy among the family, psychotherapist, and patient. The application of the FEM to individual and group treatment in a holistic treatment milieu is also described.

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Objective: Return to driving (RTD) following an acquired brain injury (ABI) positively impacts an individual’s productivity, quality of life, and community re-integration. Research illustrates that the return to driving is a complex process influenced by personal, cognitive, psychological, medical, neurological, and environmental factors. This study examined the association between demographic and injury factors and RTD at discharge following intensive neurorehabilitation. Method: This retrospective study analyzed the medical records of 178 individuals with heterogeneous acquired brain injuries who participated in a holistic milieu-oriented outpatient neurorehabilitation program from 2012 to 2022. Demographic information (age, education, race/ethnicity), injury history (injury type, age at injury, chronicity), program participation variables (length of program participation, age at participation), and driving status at discharge were collected. Results: Individuals with more chronic injuries were less likely to present with a RTD goal at admission, (p = .004). 71% (N = 88) of individuals met their RTD goal by discharge. There was no significant relationship between age at injury, age at admission, chronicity, days in treatment, or education and successful RTD at discharge. Type of brain injury (traumatic brain injury, stroke, or other [i.e., anoxia, seizure, and infection]), gender, and race/ethnicity were not related to successful RTD at discharge. Conclusions: The majority of ABI survivors met their RTD goal at discharge. Findings illustrate that the holistic milieu-oriented treatment approach is effective with regard to addressing RTD goals across a variety of brain injury etiologies, demographics factors, and injury variables.