How are family relationships affected by a spinal cord injury? - Sigmund Hough, PhD

Family, significant others, partners—they get pulled into what’s called an “emergency crisis.” And at that point, they become part of the team and they have to learn to be a part of that team. That means being active, proactive and also to learn—they become a student, and they become a teacher and they become a team member. At that point, not only are they a part of the team, but they need to do their homework, they need to take care of themselves. In therapy so many times people say, “I don’t have time,” and there are times when you don’t have time. But if you burn yourself out, you’re going to find that you won’t really have the time to do what you need to do. When I share that with them they say, “I get that.” So we talk about taking a little bit of time each week, or a little bit of time in that day to just take care of themselves—whether it’s listen to music, whether it’s calling a friend.