Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) can result in significant changes to social communication, which strain relationships with partners. Second-year graduate students in CSD 754, Acquired Cognitive Disorders, deliver a manualized treatment to individuals with TBI and their partners, as a part of the course. TBIconneCT is a 10-week program, which focuses on improving social communication between individuals with TBI and their partners. The program includes education about the social communication consequences of TBI and uses video modeling to help both individuals become more aware of their communication behaviors and adopt positive strategies. Hall et al. (2025) conducted a pilot investigation of North American TBIconneCT on individuals with TBI and their partners, while our study focuses on graduate student learning outcomes. Student learning reflections were analyzed qualitatively, identifying themes related to their learning. Preliminary findings include providing a safe learning space for individuals with TBI’s, partners, and student clinicians. As the program progressed, students' overall confidence increased, as they applied class content and further developed therapy skills, gaining knowledge beyond a textbook. We plan to use this data to enhance the positive impacts of TBIconneCT on student learning and identify ways to refine the program.
