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Support Groups

Support Groups REBUILD offers several support groups for recovering trauma patients at Inova Fairfax Hospital, including:

• REBUILD: A support group for orthopedic and general trauma patients and their families. Members have an opportunity to share their trauma experiences and discuss various topics related to recovery. Members also can visit with new trauma patients who are currently in the hospital.
• REBUILD TBI: A support group for those recovering from traumatic brain injury. Survivors, family, hospital staff, and community professionals participate in this support group.
• Spinal Cord Injury Outreach and Support Group: A group for individuals with spinal cord injury. Group members have an opportunity to connect with other groups and resources specific to their injuries and experiences through participation in this group.
• REBUILD FAMILIES: A support group for parents of children/adolescents with brain injury. Parents in this group discuss various concerns they have regarding raising a child with a brain injury and have an opportunity to exchange resources.

Patients recovering from traumatic injuries, their families, and their friends may attend meetings. During support group meetings recovering trauma patients discover the strength and support they need to truly rebuild their own lives and help others in the process.

Participation in REBUILD is free to patients, families, and friends. REBUILD is facilitated by the Inova Fairfax Hospital REBUILD coordinator, a licensed clinical social worker. Other hospital staff members participate in the group and provide professional consultation as needed.

REBUILD members visit newly hospitalized patients to offer support and a personal perspective on the recovery process. Regular visits to new patients provide group members an opportunity to offer the kind of support only fellow trauma patients can provide. REBUILD members describe these meetings as emotional for themselves as well as for the patients. These visits provide the REBUILD members an opportunity to reflect on their own recovery, progress and growth.

SUPPORT GROUP WORK Practitioners in both medicine and mental health recognize the value of groups in meeting the psycho-emotional needs of patients. The primary purpose for which groups are used in health care settings is to provide peer support in relieving stress felt by patients and families as they face illness and disabilities.

Since trauma is a painful, isolating, shocking experience with lasting effects, many trauma survivors find the group model particularly therapeutic. Support groups and activities can help patients and families:

• recognize symptoms of distress, discover a supportive community
• engage comfortably with others, recognize the value of their knowledge
• better cope with the recovery process.

Support group work offers valuable connections to people and resources both in the hospital setting and in the larger community. Finally, recovering trauma patients report feeling uplifted when they are able to help each other and the medical professionals treating trauma patients.

DIRECTIONS: Click here for directions to Inova Fairfax Hospital. All meetings and parking are free (validation available upon request). In the event of inclement weather, meetings will be canceled according to the Fairfax County School System's cancellation policies.