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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 lmickelson@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.
Many of the resources we suggest are from The Phoenix Society, the leading national nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people affected by a burn injury. The organization offers resources to connect survivors and professionals to support and training for transformational healing.
Phoenix Society
Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors
phoenix-society.org
Highlighted 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
Sara’s Steps, A Book for Children
https://resources.phoenix-society.org/saras-steps-e-book
Other Resources
The UW Health Burn Center website, After care support for patients and family
What Now? Booklet
https://www.aarbf.org/get-support/what-now/
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/