A Guide for Grad Students and New Practitioners
Transitioning From Student to Practitioner
As we kick off the start of another school year, our team at Happy Neuron Pro wants rising students and new graduates within the fields of rehabilitation, mental health, and wellness, to feel supported as they transition from student to professional. This is an exciting (and probably overwhelming) time! After building foundations of theory, research, and knowledge, it’s time to apply those skills with clients who have unique needs and complex goals, to help them live full lives.
From learning about interventions to delivering them effectively is a big shift. Having practical, evidenced-based tools to support your practice is crucial for both professional development and client success. It’s time to start packing your clinical toolkit!
Kickstart Your Clinical Toolkit
Having multiple treatment ideas in your back pocket is helpful. Sometimes sessions don’t go as planned, or clients might want to go a different direction. Being prepared for the unexpected is key. You never know when you’ll have to grab a different tool in your toolkit, or even combine a few tools together to get the job done!
It might be time to reach for Happy Neuron Pro when:
- Your client is easily distracted and needs a structured, visually engaging task to stay focused
- You want to track and share measurable progress with clients, caregivers, or supervisors
- You’re interested in integrating digital assistive technology within treatment sessions
- You want activities that can be graded up or down depending on ability
- Sessions start to feel repetitive and need a refresh
- Your client shows an interest in digital games or interactive activities
- You have a competitive client who likes to see their progress and gains via report monitoring
- Your client benefits from immediate feedback (auditory and visual) and encouragement built into the activity
- You are short on prep-time and need something ready to go and evidence-based
- Your client is ready for a cognitive challenge beyond pen and paper tasks
- You’re looking for more motivating activities for a client
How To Use HappyNeuron Pro Within Clinical Rotations and Beyond
Early in your clinical career is a great time to test out different treatment ideas, strategies, and tools. Learning how to introduce structured cognitive training into your sessions is key for client success when addressing a variety of conditions, such as traumatic brain injury, stroke, severe mental illness, Alzheimer’s, and so much more. Here are a few ideas you can explore using HappyNeuron Pro as either a student or new practitioner:
- Warm up into your session by using a targeted exercise to ease in, prior to engaging in higher-level tasks. For example, a client can perform a digital exercise focused on attention and executive functioning before completing a multi-step task in the clinic.
- Consistently perform the same exercises within the domain areas of interest to use our progress tracking report to analyze progress and opportunities for growth. You can review this data with your clients and/or use it for documentation and progress reports.
- Guide home exercise programming by using our “workouts” feature. Create online tailored exercise programs for your clients that they can access at home. This keeps their cognitive training going, on their own time.
- Use in a variety of settings. Our program can be used anywhere there is online access– meaning if you work in a few different locations or settings, it can be accessed anywhere. Easily access in inpatient, outpatient, clinic, hospital-based, school, and community-based settings.
- Expand group sessions by having clients work together or take turns performing exercises. Using online exercises to further social skills and social-emotional skills with peers by discussing cognitive strategies and results.
- Cool down at the end of your session by wrapping up with an exercise that aligns with the tasks completed in the session. Additionally, you may select a preferred domain area that your client is currently focused on or interested in.
Offer for Students and Recent Grads
Great news – Happy Neuron Pro supports new clinicians transitioning from the classroom to real world practice! HappyNeuron Pro offers 50% off a one-year Unlimited Therapist Plan for graduates within one year of completing their program. Get six months free of access to our digital cognitive therapy program. Once approved, you can sign up with a product specialist for assistance with setting up your account and training to navigate our platform.
This gives you access to our 45 digital cognitive exercises, encompassing a range of cognitive domains including: attention, memory, language, executive function, auditory processing, visual-spatial skills, processing speed, and more. You will also have access to our printable worksheets, which expand upon our digital exercises in a tangible way.
Summary
Making the leap from clinical studies towards real-world applications is quite the jump. However, you’re ready to dive in with the proper support. As a student or new practitioner working in the world of cognitive rehabilitation and cognitive remediation, HappyNeuron Pro offers the perfect launchpad into client-centered, evidence-informed practice. Take advantage of this unique opportunity to build confidence, competence and digital innovation within your early career.
Want to get started? Start with a free trial – and during the process, we’ll help you set up your discounted subscription! (No credit card required for the free trial!)
