The effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can touch nearly every aspect of a Veteran’s life, which is why a comprehensive treatment approach is essential. For Veterans who are married with children, family therapy offers a number of important benefits.
Benefits of Family Therapy
Family therapy is personalized to address communication issues and the challenges that PTSD and related conditions such as panic attacks can pose to the family dynamic. For example:
- Your spouse might withdraw from your relationship because they’re not sure what will set off your outbursts.
- Young children might not understand what PTSD is and believe they’ve done something wrong to cause your struggles. They may exhibit regressive behaviors such as wetting the bed after being potty trained or reverting to thumb-sucking for self-soothing.
- Pre-teens and teens may rebel against a tense family environment by turning to friends who encourage inappropriate behavior. Their performance in school may suffer.
- One or more family members may be struggling with depression, anxiety, or other mental health challenges related to the trauma you’ve suffered.
- You may not know how to express your feelings in a way that your family can understand and feel guilty about how your PTSD has negatively affected your family’s daily routine.
Family therapy gives everyone a chance to speak about their needs and concerns without judging or placing blame for the struggles within the family. After everyone has shared their feelings, the therapist helps all members of the family work together to create a plan to promote a stronger family dynamic as you move forward. The length of time a family attends therapy can vary, but most therapists recommend about 12 sessions for maximum results.
Please note that family therapy doesn’t replace individual therapy. One-on-one counseling helps you develop your own personal coping skills, while family therapy helps everyone in your family unit learn how to work together to support each other in a healthy way.
How We Can Help
Veterans with PTSD linked to their service are entitled to VA disability benefits that include medical care and cash compensation. Accessing these benefits can help you get the PTSD treatment you need while alleviating some of your family’s financial stress.
The Veterans benefit lawyers at the office of Sean Kendall, Attorney-at-Law, can ensure your PTSD is thoroughly documented to maximize your chances of being approved for benefits. Please call our office today to schedule a free, no-obligation initial case review.
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