[Perspectives and practices of speech therapists regarding friendships after brain injury].

Background: Acquired brain injury (ABI) is a common comorbidity in the psychiatric population. Consequences of ABI, including social communication problems, negatively affect friendships. However, current speech pathology practices regarding friendships after ABI remain unknown.
Aim: To monitor perspectives, practices and facilitating as well as limiting factors with regard to these practices of Dutch speech therapists regarding friendships after ABI.
Method: Survey study on whether, why, and how speech therapists do (not) perform work on friendships after ABI.
Results: Up to 90% of the 36 participating speech therapists believed that work related to friendships after ABI falls within the scope of their responsibilities. 78% of the speech therapists actually performed such activities. The most frequently mentioned facilitating factor in activities regarding friendship was the presence of supporting material, e.g. educational modules. The most frequently reported barrier was the very limited existence of social networks of persons with ABI.
Conclusions: Work activities by speech therapists regarding friendships after ABI are numerous. Speech therapists are in need of material that can be used to support their work on friendships.