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 or 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

Burn Center patient and caregiver resources for aftercare | Treatments | Patients & Families | UW Health

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/

Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center (MSKTC) Factsheets

https://msktc.org/BURN