Spinal cord injury is a lesser known term. More over patients and their families do not believe that the patient may not walk again. If doctor makes such a statement, they feel doctor is not competent one and start looking for some one else. The role of a Peer Counsellor along with Psychologist becomes very crucial in deciding the time of breaking the news to the patient.

Counselling in case of spinal cord injured is more about providing information rather then  counselling in the real term. Any person who was walking and moving around day before would get a shock of one's life, when being told that he may not walk again. One will be depressed, feel completely helpless and even think of suicide. The problem of loss of control over bladder and bowel further adds to dejection from life. If the person happens to be the sole earning member of the family, depression becomes manifold. But then it is a temporary phase and the longitivity of the phase would depend on one's personality make up but more on the kind of counselling and advice one gets during hospitalisation.

There are different components of rehabilitation but two most important specially in the begining are the medical rehabilitation and physical rehabilitation. During the process of medical rehabilitation, along with the stabilisation of the spine the patient has to be given ample knowledge about the morphology and physiology of the important systems like Urinary, Digestive, Excretory etc. That way one would understand the reason and thus the importance behind intermittent catheterisation or tapping in  bladder management and changing of position to relieve pressure fregularly for prevention of pressure sores. Sexual rehabilitation too have to be covered under medical rehabilitation itself. 

Physical rehabilitation at the physiotherapy and occupational therapy department helps in harnessing the residual muscle power inorder to learn transfers and other activities of daily living such as feeding, dressing, groomimg etc. Proper medical and physical rehab lays the right foundation for Psycho-Social rehabilitation.

Psyco-Social rehabilitation would depend on the personality, education, status in the family , age, background and various other factors. This would make the way for the economic rehabilitation  through vocational rehab leading to integration of the individual into the society.