Rehabilitation- Santa Clara Valley Medical Center

The peer support program at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center (SCVMC) vision is to focus on a compilation of challenges commonly faced by people with SCI, Stroke & TBI during their rehabilitation and upon discharge from a Rehabilitation hospital. In almost all cases the peers will work in a group setting facilitated by the coordinator of the peer support program. Although in some cases a peer supporter will work with a person or family member with a similar type of injury one-on-one. Additionally, the peer support meetings create an atmosphere of shared dynamics where a sense of trust is built and the crisis can emerge as an opportunity to create new meaning around the experience while offering people mutually respectful relationships. As trust builds in the relationships and people feel valued, new ways of thinking, doing, and living become possible. The situation is shared rather than "handled," and it offers an opportunity for tremendous individual and community growth.