Sophie Brassel | Research projects & activities

Lecturer in Speech Pathology (Clinical Education) (Education Focused)

Faculty of Medicine and Health

Orcid identifier0000-0002-4270-2559 (opens in a new tab)⁠

Lecturer in Speech Pathology (Clinical Education) (Education Focused)
Faculty of Medicine and Health

sophie.brassel@sydney.edu.au (opens in a new tab)

Research focus on supporting communication following acuired brain injury, with interest in digital health technologies, including:

User-based testing of immersive virtual reality for communication disorders following acquired brain injury
Cultural and linguistic adaptation of the Social Brain Toolkit (in collaboration with the University of Cologne)
Instrumental activities of daily living virtual reality shopping application for cognitive impairment

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PROJECT
VR Shopping Tool for IADLs
4 Aug 2025
Project leaders:
- Zhang W
Collaborators:
- Brassel S,
- Shaikh N,
- Mackenzie L
Exploring the Feasibility and Clinical Utility of a Fully Immersive Virtual Reality Shopping Tool for Training Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs): A Pilot Study
PROJECT
social-ABI-lity
6 Jan 2020
Project leaders:
Collaborators:
- Stacey S,
- Howard S,
- Bransby-Bell J
People with acquired brain injury (ABI) often experience social isolation, and social media can be a helpful way to stay connected and maintain relationships. However, using social media can sometimes be challenging because ABI can affect thinking and judgment, which may increase the risk of issues like feeling overwhelmed or encountering online bullying. Many people with ABI have shared that they want to use social media but need strategies to do so safely and confidently. Rehabilitation professionals also recognize these challenges but often feel unsure about how to support social media use because of potential risks. While there is a guide to help clinicians discuss social media goals, there are currently no dedicated tools or programs designed to assess or build social media skills for people with ABI. This project aims to change that by creating practical resources that support safe and meaningful online participation.
Tint SF, Amon K, Brunner M (2025). Healing is a community: an exploratory study of #TraumaticBrainInjury content on Instagram. Disability & Rehabilitation. (opens in a new tab)Brunner M, Rietdijk R, Southwell K, Baker J, Cooper S, Avramovic P, Brassel S, Power E, Rushworth N, Togher L (2025). The peer effect is “utterly profound”: A pilot study of a multi-component, peer-moderated social media skills intervention for people with acquired brain injury. AJSLP (Invited paper for a Special Issue of select papers from the 2024 International Cognitive-Communication Disorders Conference). (opens in a new tab)Brunner M, Rietdijk R, Avramovic P, Brassel S, Southwell K, Togher L. (2025). “Can be challenging but usually worth it!”: Survey of rehabilitation professionals' experiences of social media use after acquired brain injury (ABI). IJLCD. (opens in a new tab)Cruse N, Sabo H, Brunner M (2025). Social support after TBI: An investigation of Facebook posts in open access support groups. Neuropsychological Rehabilitation, 35 (8), 1599-1621. (opens in a new tab)Talbot C, Roe D, Brunner M (2025). Navigating who I was and who I am online: How people with dementia use social media platforms to support identity. Dementia; 24 (4), 647-665. (opens in a new tab)Lo CC, Amon K, Brunner M (2025). “Stay tuned”: An exploratory content and thematic analysis of brain injury videos on YouTube. Disability and Rehabilitation, 47 (10), 2523-2534. (opens in a new tab)Brunner M, Rietdijk R (Co-first author), Summers K, Southwell K, Avramovic P, Power E, Rushworth N, Togher L (2024) ‘It gives you encouragement because you're not alone’: A pilot study of a multi-component social media skills intervention for people with acquired brain injury. IJLCD (Invited paper for a Special Issue on SLT/P clinical management of traumatic brain injury across the lifespan), 59, 543–558. (opens in a new tab)Brunner M, Rietdijk R (Co-first author), Avramovic P, Power E, Miao M, Rushworth N, MacLean L, Brookes AM, Togher L (2023). Developing social-ABI-lity: an online course to support safe use of social media for connection after acquired brain injury. AJSLP (Invited paper for a Special Issue of Select Papers From the International Cognitive-Communication Disorders Conference), 32(2S), 924-940. (opens in a new tab)social-ABI-lity self-directed online course (opens in a new tab)social-ABI-lity YouTube playlist (opens in a new tab)Brunner M, Rietdijk R, Togher L (2022). Training resources targeting social media skills: A scoping review to inform rehabilitation for people who have an acquired brain injury. JMIR, 24(4), e35595. (opens in a new tab)Brunner M, Hemsley B, Togher L, Dann S, Palmer S (2021). Social Media and People with Traumatic Brain Injury: A Meta-Synthesis of Research Informing a Framework for Rehabilitation Clinical Practice, Policy, and Training. AJSLP, 30(1), 19-33. (opens in a new tab)Brunner M (2020). #TwitterMind ‐ Social Media Use by People with Communication Difficulties after Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Doctoral Thesis, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia (opens in a new tab)
Tint SF, Amon K, Brunner M (2025). Healing is a community: an exploratory study of #TraumaticBrainInjury content on Instagram. Disability & Rehabilitation. (opens in a new tab)Brunner M, Rietdijk R, Southwell K, Baker J, Cooper S, Avramovic P, Brassel S, Power E, Rushworth N, Togher L (2025). The peer effect is “utterly profound”: A pilot study of a multi-component, peer-moderated social media skills intervention for people with acquired brain injury. AJSLP (Invited paper for a Special Issue of select papers from the 2024 International Cognitive-Communication Disorders Conference). (opens in a new tab)Brunner M, Rietdijk R, Avramovic P, Brassel S, Southwell K, Togher L. (2025). “Can be challenging but usually worth it!”: Survey of rehabilitation professionals' experiences of social media use after acquired brain injury (ABI). IJLCD. (opens in a new tab)Cruse N, Sabo H, Brunner M (2025). Social support after TBI: An investigation of Facebook posts in open access support groups. Neuropsychological Rehabilitation, 35 (8), 1599-1621. (opens in a new tab)Talbot C, Roe D, Brunner M (2025). Navigating who I was and who I am online: How people with dementia use social media platforms to support identity. Dementia; 24 (4), 647-665. (opens in a new tab)Lo CC, Amon K, Brunner M (2025). “Stay tuned”: An exploratory content and thematic analysis of brain injury videos on YouTube. Disability and Rehabilitation, 47 (10), 2523-2534. (opens in a new tab)Brunner M, Rietdijk R (Co-first author), Summers K, Southwell K, Avramovic P, Power E, Rushworth N, Togher L (2024) ‘It gives you encouragement because you're not alone’: A pilot study of a multi-component social media skills intervention for people with acquired brain injury. IJLCD (Invited paper for a Special Issue on SLT/P clinical management of traumatic brain injury across the lifespan), 59, 543–558. (opens in a new tab)Brunner M, Rietdijk R (Co-first author), Avramovic P, Power E, Miao M, Rushworth N, MacLean L, Brookes AM, Togher L (2023). Developing social-ABI-lity: an online course to support safe use of social media for connection after acquired brain injury. AJSLP (Invited paper for a Special Issue of Select Papers From the International Cognitive-Communication Disorders Conference), 32(2S), 924-940. (opens in a new tab)social-ABI-lity self-directed online course (opens in a new tab)social-ABI-lity YouTube playlist (opens in a new tab)Brunner M, Rietdijk R, Togher L (2022). Training resources targeting social media skills: A scoping review to inform rehabilitation for people who have an acquired brain injury. JMIR, 24(4), e35595. (opens in a new tab)Brunner M, Hemsley B, Togher L, Dann S, Palmer S (2021). Social Media and People with Traumatic Brain Injury: A Meta-Synthesis of Research Informing a Framework for Rehabilitation Clinical Practice, Policy, and Training. AJSLP, 30(1), 19-33. (opens in a new tab)Brunner M (2020). #TwitterMind ‐ Social Media Use by People with Communication Difficulties after Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Doctoral Thesis, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia (opens in a new tab)

DrSophie Brassel

Research projects & supervision summary

RESEARCH PROJECTS & ACTIVITIES