Emotional and social challenges for burn patients and/or their loved ones can happen at any point after a burn injury. Our burn center offers many options for support.
Peer Support at UW Health
The UW Health Burn Center has an active Survivors Offering Assistance in Recovery (SOAR) program. SOAR is a peer support program that connects you with a burn survivor and/or a family member.
SOAR helps people cope and adjust through the exchange of shared experiences. Some topics are best discussed with someone who been through it before. Topics might include:
Social comfort
Relationships
Intimacy and sexuality
Reentering society
Quality of life
SOAR is an option for University Hospital and UW Health Burn Clinic patients and their loved ones. SOAR will help match you with a peer support volunteer. If you want to speak with a SOAR coordinator, contact vwelsh@ uwhealth.org.
Phone/Internet Access
If you do not have access to phone or internet, go to any fire station in the state of Wisconsin to gain free access.
Other Resources
What Now? Booklet
https://aarbf.org/Resources/docs/AARBF-WhatNow-eBook-2019.pdf
Understanding and Improving Body Image
https://uwmsktc.washington.edu//sites/uwmsktc/files/files/Burn_bodyimage.pdf
Support programs offered by the Professional Fire Fighters of Wisconsin Charitable Foundation
https://pffwcf.org/burnsurvivorsupport/
Phoenix Society Resources
Beyond Surviving: Tools for Social Empowerment
https://www.phoenix-society.org/resources/getting-back-out-there
Tools for Redeveloping Social Skills as a Burn Survivor
https://phoenix-society.org/resources/tools-for-redeveloping-social-skills-as-a-burn-survivor
Active Virtual Support Groups-Schedule
https://www.phoenix-society.org/community-calendar
Becoming Greater Than Before
https://www.phoenix-society.org/resources/becoming-greater-than-before
Burn Support Magazine
https://www.phoenix-society.org/burn-support-magazine
Phoenix World Burn Congress Annual Meeting
https://events.phoenix-society.org/phoenixwbc