Abstract
The problem is that many caregivers face isolation, depression and ambiguous grief in caring for a veteran with a TBI. Previous research has indicated that there are challenges that caregivers face in caring for a veteran with a TBI. A systematic review was done to answer the question, what are the effective social work practices for caregivers with a veteran who has a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Articles were reviewed from the timeframe of 1997 to 2015. These articles covered TBI, veterans, caregivers, military populations and civilian populations. From the research, there were six social work treatments and four interventions that were identified. The social work treatments are TBI Case Management, TBI Schematic Therapy, Multifamily Group Treatment (MFGT), Brain Injury Family Intervention (BIFI), Loss and Grief Intervention and Marriage and Family Therapy. The social work interventions that were used in most of these social work treatments were education, therapy, loss and grief and transitional care. Even though many of these treatments may appear to work with both populations, the social work needs to recognize and address military culture and the differences between military and civilian culture. However, there is little or no qualitative or quantitative studies or long-term studies on how effective these social treatments and interventions are. Further research needs to be done to see if what is currently being used in social work is effective help for caregivers who care for a veteran with a TBI.