PTSD

Yes, Riven Psychology offers teletherapy services to individuals located anywhere in Ontario. This is particularly helpful for those who may have difficulty finding suitable mental health services in their local area.

The duration of trauma recovery varies greatly and depends on several factors, including the complexity of the trauma history. 

Short-term therapy for a single traumatic event experienced as an adult may last 12-20 weeks. Long-term trauma-focused therapy for repeated childhood trauma has no predefined timeline.

Trauma-focused therapy can be challenging at times as it may involve confronting painful memories or emotions. However, it is also empowering and transformative, helping individuals regain a sense of safety, courage, confidence, trust, and purpose.

Trauma-focused therapy aims to help individuals process and recover from the effects of traumatic experiences. At Riven Psychology, we focus on:

1. Establishing a safe and supportive therapeutic relationship to allow for the exploration of difficult memories and experiences.
2. Helping individuals understand how trauma affects their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, and how past experiences influence present struggles.
3. Teaching emotional regulation skills, such as mindfulness, grounding exercises, and breathing techniques.
4. Identifying and challenging negative thoughts and expectations that stem from the traumatic experience.
5. Using exposure techniques and goal-setting to help individuals overcome fear, reduce avoidance, and rebuild their lives.

A variety of therapies have been shown to be effective for treating PTSD. Riven Psychology uses an integrative approach that combines cognitive-behavioral and schema therapy. For single-event PTSD, we use cognitive processing therapy (CPT) and prolonged exposure therapy (PE). Schema therapy and mentalization-based therapies are used for complex trauma.

PTSD typically arises after a single or isolated traumatic event and focuses on reactions to specific traumatic memories.

Complex PTSD (C-PTSD), on the other hand, is a response to repeated, prolonged trauma, often occurring in childhood or within close relationships, such as childhood abuse, neglect, or domestic violence. 

C-PTSD symptoms are broader and involve patterns of relational and emotional challenges, including emotional dysregulation, self-esteem issues, and dissociation.

PTSD involves four symptom clusters: 

1. Re-experiencing symptoms: Intrusive memories, flashbacks, or nightmares related to the traumatic event.
2. Avoidance: Avoiding reminders of the trauma (people, places, situations), as well as avoiding thoughts or feelings about the event.
3. Negative Changes in Thinking and Mood: Persistent negative beliefs about oneself or the world, feelings of detachment, emotional numbness, or difficulty experiencing positive emotions.
4. Hyperarousal: Increased alertness, being easily startled, irritability, or trouble sleeping.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) develops after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event. Traumatic experiences provoke intense fear and a sense of powerlessness, which can impact brain function in a sustained way. Flashbacks, a heightened sense of threat, disconnection from others, and drug use or reckless behaviour can all be part of the psychological impacts of trauma.