What is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)?

When people experience a traumatic event such as a serious car accident, physical or sexual assault or abuse, a natural disaster, or exposure as a first responder or military combatant, it may be common to experience difficulties following such events.

However, PTSD occurs when at least some of the following difficulties persist for more than one month and get in the way of living your life:

A. Having experienced a traumatic event.

B. Re-experiencing the traumatic event such as having intrusive thoughts, nightmares, flashbacks or becoming distressed when reminded of the event.

C. Attempting to avoid memories, emotions, talking about, thinking about or reminders of the trauma.

D. Negative emotions and thoughts about yourself, others and the word.

E. Being keyed up or tense

How is PTSD treated?

Treatments that Work for PTSD:

  • Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) is a 7-12 session therapy targeting unhelpful and inaccurate thoughts about the traumatic event

  • Prolonged Exposure (PE) is a 10 – 12 session therapy that includes discussing the traumatic event in session and facing safe but feared situations that one is avoiding outside of sessions

  • Trauma-Focused CBT (TF-CBT) for children (around 20 sessions). In this therapy, children and their non-offending parents learn more about traumatic events and coping with them, address unhelpful thoughts, and finally create a narrative of the trauma.

  • Written Exposure Therapy (WET) is a 5 session therapy that includes 30 minutes of writing about the traumatic event at each session.