PTSD is a distressing condition that causes disruptive changes to a person’s mental and physical well-being. Although there is no cure for PTSD, there are effective ways to treat it.
Below are several community events and workshops designed to offer mental health support to trauma survivors, individuals with PTSD, and those affected by it.
The Importance of PTSD Awareness
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that can trigger feelings of anger, confusion, nightmares, isolation, and hyperarousal. These distressing symptoms, along with flashbacks, can make it challenging for trauma survivors to sleep or carry out daily activities at home, school, and work. This may lead to feelings of helplessness or embarrassment and result in self-isolation to avoid drawing attention. Unfortunately, this is a common experience for people with PTSD.
Raising awareness about this condition helps to dispel misconceptions surrounding it while educating sufferers on its causes and treatments, which is why there is a National PTSD Screening Day to help those who may be experiencing common signs and symptoms of PTSD. This helps to destigmatize PTSD and opens a much-needed pathway to support and treatment.
PTSD Services: Community Events, Webinars, Workshops, and Support Groups
Receiving support outside of therapeutic and pharmaceutical treatments can be especially helpful for individuals with PTSD. Workshops, events, and support groups teach important coping strategies and activities that promote better communication and improved interpersonal skills. Please visit the following resources to learn more about events and support groups in your local area.
Community Events
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA): Find Support
- National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI): Awareness Events
Webinars
- Anxiety & Depression Association of America (ADAA): Mental Health Webinar for the Public
- Alzheimer’s Foundation of America: Live, Interactive Webinar Training – PTSD and Dementia
- Delaware Coalition Against Domestic Violence (DCADV): A Healing Life Webinar
Support Groups
Individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder often feel judged and unable to connect to others about their experiences. Support groups offer a safe space for them to express themselves and connect with others going through the same experiences.
Visit the following PTSD support groups nearby:
- Help for Our Heroes: Help for Our Heroes is a monthly support group available for military veterans and first responders coping with post-traumatic stress disorder, trauma, addiction, and other mental health conditions. This group is hosted by veterans and former first responders who understand the challenges of these occupations. Meetings currently take place on the first Friday of every month.
- Transformations Treatment Center Alumni Program: The alumni program is a support group for individuals who have completed inpatient care for addiction recovery. Participants share recovery strategies and encourage one another to help reduce the risk of relapse. Meetings occur every Wednesday night from 7 pm to 8 pm in person and via Zoom. On the last Wednesday of the month, there is an anniversary night where alumni and their families come together to celebrate their milestones in recovery.
Additional support groups can be located through the following resources:
- Anxiety and Depression Association of America
- Vet Centers
- National Alliance on Mental Illness: Find Support
How to Help Someone With Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
There are multiple ways to support individuals with PTSD in addition to increasing awareness about the condition.
Be Supportive
If you know someone with PTSD or who is struggling to overcome a traumatic experience, let them know that you’re there to listen when or if they need you. They may not want to discuss the situation immediately, so avoid pressuring them to speak.
Practice Patience
Please be aware that individuals with PTSD often experience mood swings as a result of the condition. They may have angry outbursts or isolate themselves without a detectable reason. It’s important to allow them time to recover instead of engaging in an argument or invading their space. Once they’ve calmed down, speak to them non-judgmentally and calmly about the situation.
Assist them in Grounding
Grounding is an exercise that allows one to remain present in the moment. It is a helpful exercise for people with PTSD who experience intrusive thoughts, flashbacks, or anxiety attacks. If they express having any of these symptoms, help them enter a calm state by walking them through a grounding technique such as deep breathing or guided meditation.
The Importance of PTSD Treatment
Not everyone with PTSD will feel ready for treatment. Some may believe they’re in a helpless predicament that cannot be treated. Others may display reluctance to treatment due to a fear of being stigmatized. Still, others would rather avoid speaking about their trauma for fear of reliving it.
Encourage your loved one to receive treatment by first educating yourself on PTSD and explaining how treatment can help them heal.
Other ways to encourage them to receive treatment include:
- Offering to attend a support group with them.
- Helping them look through resources about PTSD treatments.
- Opening up about your traumatic experience and letting them know you can relate.
All of these options foster a sense of trust, which is a welcome prospect to those who feel their trust has been broken by trauma.
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