Everyone can sign up to access the information portal for the program, which is this website. But as an SCI & U participant, you additionally have access to:
1. Regular videoconferences with a trained peer coach to talk about health and behavior-change topics
2. The SCI & U coaching portal, where you can record and follow your health goals and action plans.
All our health coaches are Canadians who are themselves people with SCI. As peers, they know first-hand the experience of the condition. They are selected for their positive communication skills and nonjudgmental, open-minded attitude. Each coach is trained in active listening, action planning, and mental health.
The SCI & U Program covers health topics like medical issues, stress management, diet, and exercise; and behavior-change topics like problem solving and goal setting.
Most important, no one program looks alike. That’s because each program is designed around you — your health priorities and your health goals.
By the way, we’re a diverse team of specialists, several of us with SCI, who are researchers, clinicians, sports psychologists, designers, health promoters and more. The SCI & U Program is now in its final phase of a multi-year Canadian research project.
Interested in making a change? So are we.
Stay Tuned: We’re enrolling Canadians with SCI starting in the Fall 2023!
The SCI & U Program was pilot tested between 2017 and 2018. A multi-year trial of the program concluded in 2022 and a version tailored to those with recent injuries will take place in 2023-2024.
You can find a published peer-reviewed research article with our story