Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that can develop after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event. It can affect your thoughts, emotions, and daily life, often causing distressing memories, anxiety, or hypervigilance.

Symptoms may include intrusive memories or flashbacks, nightmares, emotional numbness, avoidance of reminders, hyperarousal (being easily startled or on edge), negative changes in mood or thinking, and physical stress reactions.

PTSD symptoms can appear within weeks of a trauma but sometimes take months or even years to emerge. Symptoms that persist for more than a month and interfere with daily life may indicate PTSD.

Post-Traumatic Stress (PTS) refers to the normal reactions many people have after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event. These reactions—like anxiety, flashbacks, irritability, difficulty sleeping, or emotional distress—are common and often temporary. Most people with PTS see symptoms gradually improve over days or weeks as they process the event and regain a sense of safety.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) occurs when these stress reactions persist for more than a month, are intense, and significantly interfere with daily life, work, or relationships. PTSD is diagnosed when symptoms—such as intrusive memories, avoidance, hyperarousal, and negative mood changes—cause ongoing distress or functional impairment. Unlike PTS, PTSD typically requires structured, evidence-based treatment to support recovery.

Yes. PTSD is highly treatable with evidence-based therapies. Treatment can help reduce symptoms, improve coping, and restore a sense of safety and control.

Effective approaches include trauma-focused therapies such as EMDR, Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE), and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Therapy is tailored to each person’s needs and experiences.

The length of treatment varies depending on the individual, the severity of symptoms, and the therapy approach. Some people notice improvements within a few weeks, while others benefit from longer-term support. Average treatment for a single incident trauma is around 12-14 sessions.

Yes. Therapy is conducted in a safe, non-judgmental environment. Your therapist guides you at your pace, helping you process trauma while teaching practical strategies to manage distressing symptoms.

Absolutely. PTSD can affect people long after a traumatic event. Therapy can help you process past experiences, reduce ongoing distress, and improve your overall quality of life.

Couples therapy for PTSD is a research-based approach that treats PTSD within the context of the relationship. Because PTSD symptoms often heavily impact the partnership, the therapy focuses on understanding and addressing PTSD together, improving communication, and enhancing overall relationship satisfaction.

Trauma-informed couples therapy, in contrast, focuses primarily on improving the relationship itself. While past trauma—whether or not it is PTSD—is taken into account, the emphasis is on understanding how these experiences influence current reactions and behaviors, increasing compassion, and helping partners change patterns in a supportive, empathetic way.