This week on Girls with Grafts, Rachel talks with Mikki Rothbauer, a psychotherapist who has spent over twenty years helping burn survivors and their families at Regions Hospital Burn Center.

Mikki talks about what she has learned from years of supporting burn survivors, from the first days after injury to long-term healing. 💛 She leads burn support groups and coordinates a hospital-based Phoenix SOAR program. Mikki often reminds patients, “support group needs you.” In this episode, she explains why letting survivors choose to join peer support can be an important part of recovery.

Rachel and Mikki discuss the emotional impacts of burn injuries, how to know when it may be time to get professional mental health help, and how resilience and confidence support healing. 💪 We also talk openly about topics that are often overlooked, like body image, sexuality, and intimacy after a burn injury, sharing both survivor and caregiver perspectives with honesty and care.

#BurnSurvivor #GirlsWithGrafts #Podcast #SurvivorPodcast #BurnSurvivorStories

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Mikki Rothbauer, MSW, LICSW, is a pediatric and adult burn and trauma psychotherapist who has worked with burn survivors and their families in a Level 1 trauma center for more than 21 years. She is deeply passionate about supporting survivors of burn and trauma injuries and considers it a privilege to be part of each patient’s healing journey.

Recognizing that burn and trauma injuries impact the entire family, Mikki works closely with patients and their support systems from the onset of injury through the months and years that follow. She emphasizes cognitive behavioral strategies to help address acute stress and PTSD symptoms, and her clinical focus also includes grief and loss, cosmetic differences, hidden burns and injuries, survivor’s guilt, and work-related injuries.

Mikki enjoys working with patients of all ages and uses a collaborative, patient-centered approach to support individuals as they return to living full and meaningful lives. She facilitates burn support groups, coordinates her center’s SOAR peer support program, and has a special interest in addressing body image and sexuality concerns during recovery.

In addition to her clinical work, Mikki has contributed to the field through published articles and book chapters related to trauma and burn recovery. She considers it a true honor to walk alongside patients and their loved ones as they navigate recovery after traumatic injury.

• Learn more about Phoenix SOAR: https://resources.phoenix-society.org/phoenix-soar
• Request a peer support visit through Phoenix Society: https://resources.phoenix-society.org/peer-support-request
• Read “Understanding Intimacy and Sexuality After Burn Injury:” https://phoenix-society.org/resources/understanding-intimacy-and-sexuality-after-burn-injury

Today’s podcast is powered by the Bert Martin Foundation! The Bert Martin Foundation was established to assist those who help others and provide financial support for nonprofit organizations. We’re honored to have the Bert Martin Foundation as a long-standing Phoenix Society Partner.

Interested in becoming a sponsor of the show? Email us at info@phoenix-society.org.