PTSD Treatment

A partial hospitalization program (PHP) is the highest level of mental health outpatient and runs from 9 AM until 2:30 PM Monday through Friday. PHP is available for both adolescents and adults. Our daytime intensive outpatient (IOP) is available Monday through Friday for 3 hours a day. Both adolescents and adults can participate in our IOP. We also offer an evening IOP for adults that runs for 3 hours a day, 3 evenings a week. Topics included during our outpatient programming include processing groups, goals groups, coping skills, stress, time management, and rec therapy.

Many veterans find a combination of therapy and medication to be effective in treating PTSD symptoms. Psychotherapy options often include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), as they can help change thoughts and beliefs that may be related to PTSD symptoms.

Any traumatic experience can result in the development of PTSD. These events may include war, sexual assault, abuse, natural disasters, or a car accident. They can also develop at any point after the event, and many people develop symptoms months or years afterward.

Typically, a psychiatrist or psychologist will diagnose someone with PTSD. Symptoms usually have to last longer than 1 month and interfere with one's daily life. The symptoms also cannot be related to substance use, physical health, or mental health disorders. They also might have the following: 1 re-experiencing symptom, 1 avoidance symptom, 2 arousal and reactivity symptoms, and 2 cognition and mood symptoms. 

An example of a re-experiencing symptom may include flashbacks, while an avoidance symptom may consist of avoiding places that provide reminders of the experience. Arousal and reactivity symptoms include being quickly startled or feeling tense, and cognition and mood symptoms include having negative thoughts about the world and having feelings of fear or shame.