When should peer counseling begin? - Julie Gassaway, MS, RN

I think a good peer will feel you as the patient out to see when you are ready for it. Some people want to talk to a peer right away, others are a little hesitant and they would rather wait a little while. It is very nice to talk to somebody during rehab because that’s when you start to envision what your life might be like after rehab, and the peers can really give you a better view of that vision. How can you live a happy life? What will be like for you to go home to your family, to your husband, to your wife, to your children? Will you ever be able to go back to work, or play on a basketball team or cook a dinner? Whatever it is that you are interested in doing, the peers can demonstrate that to you, and help you on your journey to move back into community living and to do it well.