If you have served in any capacity in the United States Military, with a grateful heart I say “THANK YOU!”.
If you are a Veteran that has served after 9/11 there are resources that will pay for 12 counseling sessions. Please communicate this with me and I will lead you through the process.
It has been a tremendous honor to work with Veterans at the Veterans Administration Outpatient Clinics in New Mexico. I was privileged to work with male and female Veterans of various ages and ethnic backgrounds.
If you are a Veteran and have been discharged recently you may benefit from readjustment counseling in the effort to make a successful transition from military to civilian life. Some topics covered in counseling can be:
- daily challenges of interacting with civilians (at work or in the community)
- family life
- bereavement counseling
- military sexual trauma
- substance abuse
- depression
- anxiety
- PTSD
You may be a Veteran who has been Stateside for a while and some concerns or memories may have come up recently. You may have decided that you would like to see improvements in your daily functioning, mood or relationships. We can successfully address all of these.
A brief overview of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Many Veterans that I have had the privilege of working with were experiencing symptoms of PTSD however did not know what was causing the symptoms or that they met the criteria for PTSD.
The website for Post Traumatic Growth – Response & Resources lists four types of symptoms that are most common in PTSD (http://ptgrr.com/ptsd-a-simple-explanation/trauma/ptsd-a-simple-explanation):
“1. Re-living the event
Memories of the traumatic event can come back at any time. You may feel the same fear and horror you did when the event took place. For example:
• You may have nightmares
• You may feel like you are going through the event again. This is called a flashback.
You may see hear or smell something that causes you to relive the event. This is called trigger. News reports seeing an accident, or hearing a car backfire are examples of triggers.
2. Avoiding the situations that remind you of the event
You may try to avoid situations or people that trigger memories of the traumatic event. You may even avoid talking or thinking about the event. For example:
• You may avoid crowds
• You may avoid driving if you are in a car accident or if your military convoy was bombed
• If you were in an earthquake, you may avoid watching movies about earthquakes
• You may keep very busy or avoid seeking help because it keeps you from having to think or talk about the event.
3. Negative changes in beliefs and feelings
The way you think about yourself and others changes because of the trauma. This symptom has many aspects, including the following:
• You may not have positive or loving feelings towards other people and may stay away from relationships
• You may forget about parts of the traumatic event or not be able to talk about them
• You may think the world is completely dangerous, and no one can be trusted.
4. Feeling keyed up (also called hyper-arousal)
• You may have difficulty sleeping
• You may have trouble concentrating
• You may be startled by a loud noise or surprise
• You might want to have your back to a wall in a restaurant or waiting room.
IS PTSD AN EVENT IN ITSELF?
PTSD is not an event in itself. PTSD symptoms usually start soon after a traumatic event, but for some people, they may not happen until months or years after the trauma. Symptoms may come and go over many years. So, you should keep track of your symptoms and talk to someone you trust about them.”