Sarnia & Area

Gary Cockman, RSSW
Rehabilitation Therapist

For Gary Cockman, his role as rehabilitation therapist has special meaning. His brother had suffered from catastrophic brain injury after three major accidents before succumbing to a drunk driver. What drives Gary now “and always will” is the growing knowledge out there about brain injury and the new and emerging treatment techniques that are available. He has been at Brainworks since 2005.

Gary has a Social Service Worker Degree from Canadore College. In addition to his experiences with brain injury, he has ten years of experience working with individuals with a variety of other special needs, including developmental disabilities, behavioural disorders, mental health issues and dementia. He has also accumulated comprehensive life and job-coaching skills. Having already taken several professional development programs to enhance his therapy work with clients, he is continuously looking for additional educational forums and conferences to further expand his knowledge base.

Gary’s main goals in working with clients are to respect the individual and their injury, gain a rapport and trust, and be as least intrusive as possible. With this formula, Gary has several stories of client success. One involves a client who was behaving violently and that no one else was willing to take on. Five years after Gary first began working with him, the client had his violence issues under control, was living on his own, had a part-time serving customers and a girlfriend! Gary knows that success is a journey and that great things can be accomplished through persistence.

Open communication is key for Gary in working with multidisciplinary team members, as well as following the recommendations set out by the team to further each client’s treatment. He knows that the most effective treatment teams consist of several professionals, each bringing something unique and valuable to the table. A colleague once said of Gary that he “makes things go so smoothly.”

Gary has developed close, warm relationships with those most important in his life, and has a special respect for those he assists through his work: “Our clients are special people who need our expertise to help them recover from their injuries.” And that sense of kinship makes Gary a special member of our own Brainworks team.

Jane Hobbs, BA, BEd
Rehabilitation Therapist

The concept of learning has played a major role throughout Jane Hobbs’ 30 years of experience helping those working through personal challenges. She has learned much about life and human perseverance from her clients and has come to have full confidence in each client’s ability to learn new tasks and skills. “I’ve always been intrigued by the ability of people with brain injury to heal and reinvent themselves,” she says. “I’m fascinated with the powers of the human brain and its untapped potential.”

Jane holds a Bachelor of Arts (Psychology Major), Bachelor of Education (Primary/Junior Designation), and a Developmental Service Worker Diploma. She has also completed Level One of American Sign Language. Before coming to Brainworks in 2009, she worked as an independent living manager, residential counsellor, and assistant residential supervisor, through which she accumulated extensive experience providing physical assistance, prompting, coaching, and other techniques to help individuals with daily life activities.

Throughout her career, Jane has supported those with developmental problems, brain injury, physical challenges, mental health and behavioural issues, and communication disorders. She has designed, developed and implemented numerous treatment plans to assist clients in identifying and reaching their personal goals. She has worked with all age groups, from children with behavioural difficulties to seniors with dementia. With her considerable vocational knowledge, she has also spent many years designing return-to-work, work-hardening and modified work programs for injured workers.

Jane is a patient, flexible and accommodating team player, whether she is working with clients and their families, or collaborating with treatment team members. She has an excellent sense of humour and a generous spirit that she shares with those around her. In meetings with professionals, she knows that, first and foremost, she is the representing voice for her clients and carefully articulates their wishes and needs so that the best strategies can be identified for them.

“Almost anything can be accomplished by believing in yourself and then attempting a task or skill,” she says. “Both therapy and life are really that simple.” At Brainworks, we too believe in the power of the perseverance and the key role it plays in helping each client move from injury to recovery. We’re so glad to have Jane’s skills and experience as part of our Brainworks team.