Porter Charles is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW), an EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) therapist, and a workplace therapist. He is also a TBI survivor, bringing both professional expertise and lived experience to his work.
He is the founder and CEO of Smooth Stone Counseling, where he supports individuals in navigating life and work imbalances. He specializes in shifting clients out of fear-based thinking into more grounded and sustainable ways of living. Porter offers virtual one-on-one sessions and workplace workshops and is passionate about creating accessible educational content to support emotional wellness and recovery. He currently serves as a board member for the Boston College School of Social Work Alumni and works with clients ranging from Harvard and MIT staff to executives, parents, and high schoolers.
In this episode, host Bethany Lewis, the Concussion Coach, interviews Porter Charles, a former colleague from Cognitive FX. Porter shares his deeply personal journey of suffering a traumatic brain injury from a white-water rafting accident and the long, challenging road to recovery.
The conversation covers the wide range of debilitating symptoms he experienced, including panic attacks, cognitive issues, and the "T" (trauma) part of the TBI. Porter discusses the difficulties of navigating a lack of understanding from medical professionals, the isolation of an "invisible injury," and the importance of finding effective treatments.
He highlights the turning point at Cognitive FX, the importance of therapies like occupational therapy and EMDR, and how his experience ultimately guided his career path as a therapist. The episode provides hope for those suffering from concussions and offers practical advice for both survivors and their caregivers on the importance of addressing both the physiological and psychological aspects of recovery.
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