Taryn Marie Stejskal, PhD, LMFT is a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) in the state of Indiana and the founder and president of Wellness Strategies, P.C.; a private practice specifically developed to meet the unique needs of individuals, couples, and families after one person has sustained a neurological injury (e.g., Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Spinal Cord Injury (SCI), etc.).
Dr. Stejskal received both her master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) and her doctoral degree in Family Science, with a focus on health and relationships, with honors, from the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP). She was awarded an Advanced Rehabilitation Research Training (ARRT) fellowship, funded by the National Institute of Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) to complete intensive pre- and postdoctoral fellowships in neuropsychology at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Richmond, VA. As an ARRT fellow, Dr. Stejskal implemented and empirically validated the Brain Injury Family Intervention (BIFI), a program designed to promote emotional and relational healing for brain injury survivors and their spouses and family members. Specifically, her clinical interests rest in family and couple relationships after injury and illness, and in applying a systems perspective to recovery from injury, trauma, grief, and loss.
As a researcher, Dr. Stejskal is interested in family and couple relationships, specifically the qualitative and quantitative aspects related to the satisfaction and adjustment of couples after one person has sustained a brain injury. She also works as a consultant to hospitals and care facilities to enhance patient and family experience, satisfaction, and relationships with their healthcare providers. She has written numerous peer-reviewed manuscripts, book chapters, and newsletter articles about the impact of brain injury on couple and family relationships.
Dr. Stejskal is in private practice in Indianapolis, a research consultant for Purdue University’s Military Family Research Institute (MFRI), an affiliate faculty member at Indiana University, co-chair of the Brain Injury Association of Indiana’s (BIAI) Education Committee, and is a frequent presenter at regional, national, and international conferences.