In what ways can peer mentors be helpful after a spinal cord injury? - Toby Huston, PhD

I think peer support is really a crucial piece of the rehab process early on. Professionals within the rehab world can provide lots of education about how things happen and how to do certain things. But I don’t think there’s any replacement for somebody who knows what it’s really like, who’s living it, who has validity from the person that they’re speaking with in terms of this person truly knows where I’m coming from. And lots of times I think patients and/or families will be more open with — or talk about different concerns with a peer mentor than they might with a professional psychologist, or physical therapist or a nurse.