Finding ‘common ground’ for recovery

Noah Manskar

After working together for two decades, Robin Touvell-Toubal and Deborah Benson are strong partners when it comes to caring for survivors of traumatic brain injuries.

Touvell-Toubal, a 17-year New Hyde Park resident, worked under Benson at Transitions of Long Island, a branch of Northwell Health dedicated to aiding recovery from brain trauma, such as strokes, aneurysms, car accidents or falls.

When Benson started Common Ground Alliance, a Plainview-based non-profit with a similar mission, Touvell-Toubal was the first person she asked for help — and she’s proven to be “tremendously dedicated” ever since, she said.

“When somebody sustains a traumatic brain injury, it changes their life so remarkably that it’s very inspiring to be working with people who are overcoming a huge set of challenges that they never expected to face in their lives, and to be part of that process on their road, it’s just very gratifying,” Touvell-Toubal said.

Touvell-Toubal serves on Common Ground Alliance’s board of directors and runs a monthly discussion group for brain injury survivors about how they can improve their quality of life, she said.

It’s one of several regular programs the organization offers for traumatic brain injury patients and their families, who can join Common Ground for $120 a year. Others include a book club, yoga classes, game nights, a drama group and weekend outings.

The organization serves people from Nassau and Suffolk counties, including a large number from the North Shore area, and a few from Queens, Benson said.

Through these activities, Common Ground creates a social circle for brain injury survivors that prevents them from becoming isolated, Touvell-Toubal said.

“That’s really what our goal is — trying to improve the social connections between people and provide activities that are fun and enjoyable to do,” she said.

She’s among a team of Common Ground volunteers that also includes clinical psychologists, a minister and an art therapist, Benson said.

Touvell-Toubal is a counselor specializing in traumatic brain injury, a rare concentration among counselors because few schools for psychology, counseling or social work offer it, she said.

“There are not a lot of mental health professionals locally, as well as in the world in general, that have a good understanding of brain injury and the multitude of ways in which a brain injury can affect both the person who has it and their loved ones,” Benson said. “So having people who have that knowledge base and who know how they need to adjust their treatment in order to make it most relevant and most useful to these folks is really valuable and really important.”

Since she’s been involved with Common Ground from the beginning, Touvell-Toubal has helped influence its programming and actively participates in its fundraisers, Benson said.

She also helped spread the word about and raise a little money for Common Ground through the newsletter for the New Hyde Park-Mineola Runners’ Club, of which she’s a longtime member.

The club is also working on plans to give some proceeds to Common Ground from its annual 8K run on June 5.

“I think the connection is that one charitable organization can help another charitable organization and make a greater impact across everybody’s lives,” Touvell-Toubal said.

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