
Peer Mentoring
SCI peer mentoring
Service Description
The word “peer” simply means someone who is similar to you, be it in age, gender, race, education, or disability. “Mentoring” simply means serving as a trusted counselor or teacher. When we talk about spinal cord injury (SCI) peer mentors we mean other people who have an SCI and have faced some of the same experiences and challenges that you may face. Peer mentors have learned from their own experiences. They are also knowledgeable about resources and living with SCI, so peer mentors can be helpful in many ways. Peer mentors may work or volunteer at rehabilitation hospitals or community-based organizations such as Centers for Independent Living. Most serious and responsible peer mentor programs choose their peer mentors carefully and provide them with comprehensive training and supervision by health care professionals. While peer mentors are not a replacement for the health care professionals that you usually work with, they can be a valuable resource in many ways.