Traumatic brain injury affects different people in different degrees, but everyone with TBI experiences similar emotions. Dealing with TBI is challenging for both the patient and his or her family, but sharing your experiences with people who have had similar experiences can help. TBI support groups provide the opportunity to make friends and learn more about TBI.
Different TBI support groups have different focuses, so check out several, if possible, to see which one best meets your needs. Some TBI support groups emphasize learning about TBI, while others emphasize offering adaptive recreational opportunities for TBI patients. Some groups have meetings for patients and separate meetings for caregivers and family members, while others invite any one interested in TBI to the same meeting. Some groups are for people who have suffered brain damage from a stroke and some are for those who have suffered damage from a brain tumor.
We have tried to make the following list as complete as possible. Since support groups change or disband without warning we advise you to call before traveling to the group’s meeting place for the first time. If you cannot find a group in your area, you may wish to start one. Information about starting your own TBI support group can be obtained from the Brain Injury Association of New Jersey: https://bianj.org/.
Cherry Hill
Burlington/Camden Group
This group meets on the third Monday of each month at 7 p.m.
Meeting place:
Bancroft NeuroHealth
201 South Kings Highway
Cherry Hill, NJ 08034
Contact:
Katie Kelly at (856) 616-6437
Kristin Lukianovich at (856) 616-6433
Camden County Stroke Support Group
This group meets every Monday morning from 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. Attendees must be a member of the Katz Jewish Community Center, but scholarships are available and members can be of any faith.
Meeting place:
Katz Jewish Community Center
1301 Springdale Road
Cherry Hill, NJ 08003
Contact:
Sharon Singer at (856) 424-4444, ext. 228
Chester
Morris TBI Group
This group meets the first Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m.
Meeting place:
Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation at Chester Campus
Pleasant Hill Road
Chester, NJ 07930
Contact:
Rachel Jacobowitz at (973) 252-6300 ext. 220
Colts Neck
Monmouth TBI Group
This group meets the first Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m.
Meeting place:
Dorbrook Park Recreation Area
Route 537
Colts Neck, NJ
Contact:
BIANJ Office at (732) 745-0200
Edison
Middlesex County TBI Group
This group meets the second Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m.
Meeting place:
JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Center for Head Injuries
Hartwyck at Oak Tree, 2048 Oak Tree Road
Edison, NJ
Contact:
Kathleen Worthington at (732) 906-2640 ext. 42202
Brain Aneurysm and AVM Support Group
This group meets the last Wednesday of the month at 7 p.m.
Meeting place:
NJ Neuroscience Institute, Conference Room
65 James Street, Edison, NJ 08818
Contact:
Nancy DePinto at (732) 321-7000, extension 68973
The NJ Chapter Support Group for Benign Brain Tumor Survivors
This group meets the second Monday of every month at 7:30 p.m.
Meeting place:
Panera Bread
1551 Rt. 1
Edison, New Jersey
Contact:
Beth Rosenthal at (732) 767-0019 or (732) 371-5338.
Englewood
Bergen County TBI Group
This group meets the third Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m.
Meeting place:
Englewood Hospital, Berrie Education Room
350 Engle Street
Englewood, NJ 07631
Contact:
Jane and Joe Concato at (201) 666-2015
Fair Lawn
Passaic/Bergen Groups
Voices That Count (Survivors) Group and Family Group
Both groups meet the second Wednesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. Call Dawn or Jennifer for information on the Family group and Carly for information on the Survivors group.
Meeting place:
Rehabilitation Specialists
18-01 Pollitt Drive, Suite 1A
Fair Lawn, NJ 07410
Contacts:
Dawn Scala at (201) 478-4200 ext. 19 or Jennifer Victoria Proano, ext. 31
Carly Schoener at (201) 478-4200, ext. 26
Flemington
Hunterdon County TBI Group
This group meets the second Thursday of every month at 7 p.m.
Meeting place:
Hunterdon Medical Center
2100 Wescott Drive (Hunterdon County)
Flemington, NJ 08822
Contact:
Gwen Bartlett-Palmer at (908) 391-5503
Lawrenceville
Mercer Group TBI Group
This group meets the first Wednesday of each month at 6:30 p.m.
Meeting place:
St. Lawrence Rehabilitation Hospital
Conference Room 117,
2381 Lawrenceville Road
Lawrenceville, NJ 08648
Contact:
David Searles at (609) 896-9500, ext. 2303
Marlton
Burlington/Camden Group Mild/Moderate TBI Support Group
This group meets the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month at 7 p.m.
Meeting place:
Marlton Rehabilitation Hospital
92 Brick Road, Marlton, NJ 08053
Contact:
Nutan Ravani at (856) 988-8778
Millburn
Essex County Opportunity Project
This is a young men’s brain injury support group, ages ranging from 19-49.
Meetings are held one evening a month, from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. The date of the meeting varies from month to month; please call the contact for specific meeting dates.
Meeting place:
Opportunity Project
60 East Willow Street
Millburn, NJ 07041
Contact:
Bob Marlin at (973) 887-0818
Newton
Sussex TBI Group
This group meets the second Wednesday of month (March – Nov.); the support part of the meeting begins at 8 p.m., but the business part of the meeting begins at 7 p.m.
Meeting place:
Redeemer Lutheran Church
37 Newton Sparta Road
Newton, NJ 07860
Contact:
Vince D’Orio at (732) 627-9890 ext. 220
North Cape May
Cape May/Victoria Commons Group
This group meets the second Monday of each month from 6 – 8 p.m.
Meeting place:
610 Townbank Road
North Cape May, NJ 08204
Contact:
Alecia Reeves at (609) 886-6200 ext. 367
North Plainfield
Middlesex County Central NJ Brain Tumor Support & Resource Center
This group meets the first Thursday of every month from 7 – 8:30 p.m.
Meeting place:
St. Luke’s Roman Catholic Church
300 Clinton Ave.
North Plainfield, NJ 07060
Contact:
Patty Anthony at (732) 321-7000, ext. 68998
Virginia/Stan Shrodo at (908) 685-0917
Web site: www.njbt.org
Oldwick
Hunterdon/Somerset Group
This group meets the third Thursday of each month from 6:30 – 8 p.m.
Meeting place:
The Meadows at Oldwick
159 Oldwick Road
Oldwick, NJ 08858
Contact:
Kathy Loder-Murphy at (732) 932-6725
Pomona
Atlantic/Cape May Group
This group meets the second Thursday of each month at 7 p.m.
Meeting place:
Bacharach Institute for Rehabilitation
61 W. Jimmie Leeds Road
Pomona, NJ 08240-0723
Contact:
Nutan Ravani at (856) 589-5797
Rahway
Union County Stroke Club
This group meets the second Thursday of each month from 12:30 to 2 p.m. Registration required.
Meeting place:
RW Johnson University Hospital Rahway
865 Stone Street
Rahway, NJ 07065
Contact:
Rehabilitation Department at (732) 499-6012
Salem
Salem Group
This group meets the second Wednesday of every month from 6 – 8 p.m.
Meeting place:
Memorial Hospital of Salem County
Communication and Education Center
Conference Room, 4th Floor
310 Woodstown Road
Salem, New Jersey
Contact:
Diane Lynn Robbins at (609) 202-9902
Toms River
Ocean TBI Group
This group meets the third Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m.
Meeting place:
Community Medical Center
99 Highway 37 West
Toms River, NJ 08755
Contact:
Vicky Hardy at (732) 557-8000, ext. 10226
Pam Lightfoot, ext. 11547
Trenton
Mercer County Capital Health System – Stroke Support Group
This group meets the second Saturday of every month at 10 a.m. These meetings are for stroke patients and caretaker/family members involved in their care.
Meeting place:
Mercer Campus
446 Bellevue Avenue, Conference Room A
Trenton, NJ
Contacts:
LouAnn McGinty, RN, MSN Neuroscience Nurse Coordinator at (609) 394-6000
Reverend Berlinda Love, Coordinator, at (609) 882-1378 for information or to register.
Turnersville
Gloucester County – Southern NJ
This is a “clubhouse” model group for recreation/networking. It meets every Wednesday night.
Meeting place:
Apostles’ Lutheran Church
4401 Black Horse Pike (Route 42)
Turnersville, NJ 08012
Contact:
Theresa May at (856) 629-8487
Directions (church office) at (856) 629-4228 or call Theresa at above number.
Vineland
Cumberland TBI Group
This group meets the first Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m.
Meeting place:
HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital of Vineland
1237 West Sherman Avenue
Vineland, NJ 08360
Contact:
Eurgenio Rocksmith, M.D., at (856) 696-7100
Wall
Monmouth and Ocean County Brain Tumor Support Group
This group meets the first Saturday of the month from 3 – 4:45 p.m., except in summer. During summer (July and August) this group meets on the second Thursday of month from 7 – 8:30 p.m.
Meeting place:
Wall Township Branch of Monmouth County Library
2700 Allaire Road
Wall, NJ
Contact:
Ilene and David Lewis at (732) 615-9220
West Orange
Essex Group
This group meets the second and last Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m.
Meeting place:
Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation
1199 Pleasant Valley Way
West Orange, NJ 07052
Contact:
Betty Collins at (973) 731-3600
Woodbury
Gloucester TBI Group
This group meets the fourth Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m.
Meeting place:
Moss Rehab/Drucker Brain Injury Center
135 South Broad Street
Woodbury, NJ 08096
Contact:
Dayna Scott at (856) 853-9900, ext. 102