Psychological Evaluation test near me

There are many issues one may come across such as family conflict, substance abuse, mental illness, couples issues, domestic violence, issues related to aging, divorce, abuse and neglect and many more. All of these issues are vastly different but have one common factor, they are traumatizing. As a therapist, I have realized that once my clients have reached my office, they have already been traumatized by their issue/issues. They are so overwhelmed and distressed that they felt that there is no other choice but to seek the help from a professional who is a complete stranger. Although there is absolutely nothing wrong with therapy, it is always difficult sharing your deepest secrets with a complete stranger.

Some of you might be saying to yourself, that it is a bit dramatic that everyone has been traumatized by the issue they face. This thought process is normal, but I will explain what I mean by this. To start, lets clarify, trauma is not only experienced by veterans returning from war. So what is trauma? I always think about it as a psychological war that one fights with themselves as many feel ashamed to speak of their experience while at the same time it is necessary to process to overcome. However, by definition trauma is an extremely distressing event. Both of these explanations do not encompass the truth about trauma. Judith Herman who is a great scholar in the subject of trauma explains that:

“The conflict between the will to deny horrible events and the will to proclaim them aloud is the central dialectic of psychological trauma. People who have survived atrocities often tell their stories in a highly emotional, contradictory, and fragmented manner that undermines their credibility and thereby serves the twin imperatives of truth-telling and secrecy. When the truth is finally recognized, survivors can begin their recovery. But far too often secrecy prevails, and the story of the traumatic event surfaces not as a verbal narrative but as a symptom”.

As Herman explains above, so many times people who have experienced trauma are living with such intense emotions that they are often misdiagnosed with a mental illness that does not accurately depict their life experience.

On that note, ever heard of post-traumatic stress disorder? As mentioned earlier, did you think it was a diagnosis only given to veterans? Post-traumatic stress (PTSD) disorder is a disorder that develops in some people who have experienced a shocking, scary, or dangerous event.Nearly everyone will experience a range of reactions after trauma, yet most people recover from initial symptoms naturally. Those who continue to experience problems may be diagnosed with PTSD. People who have PTSD may feel stressed or frightened even when they are not in danger. Common symptoms associated with PTSD are:

• Flashbacks (reliving the trauma over and over, including physical symptoms like a racing heart or sweating)
• Nightmares
• Frightening thoughts
• Avoiding places or things that remind you of traumatic event
• Avoiding thoughts that remind you of the traumatic event
• Being easily startled
• Feeling tense or like you are “on edge”
• Having difficulty sleeping
• Having angry outbursts
• Trouble remembering key features of the traumatic event
• Negative thoughts about oneself or the world
• Distorted feelings like guilt or blame
• Loss of interest in enjoyable activities

It is important to become aware that anyone can develop PTSD at any age. This includes war veterans, children, and people who have been through a physical or sexual assault, abuse, accident, disaster, or many other serious events.Children who experience PTSD may display different symptoms than adults. For example, children who are diagnosed with PTSD commonly:

• Wet the bed after having learned to use the toilet
• Forget how to or being unable to talk
• Act out the scary event during playtime
• Become unusually clingy with a parent or other adult

It is important to become aware of the impact of trauma or become trauma informed for both professional and personal reasons. I have seen that when one misses the possibility of trauma they are ignoring a huge part of what someone may be going through. This often results in lack of understanding and frustration towards the individual experiencing trauma. As a therapist, it would be a huge disservice to my clients if I were to ignore the possibility of trauma, which does occur often. You might be wondering why or how does this happen? The answer is trauma can look like many things? For example a child who is living in an abusive home may be experiencing flashbacks during class. If the child’s teacher is not trauma informed they may automatically diagnose the child with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder also known as ADHD which may be false and will not really help the child. For an adult the same is true, someone goes to a therapist and describes symptoms but the therapist does not explore for traumatic experienced the individual may be misdiagnosed with bi-polar disorder or borderline personality disorder which again will not truly help them. Therefore, it is important when reaching out for help or saying to yourself I need a psychological evaluation near me, make sure to ask if that professional is trauma informed.

For many it is scary to say to themselves “something is wrong with me I need a psychological evaluation near me” because they are scared of the outcome. For others it is scary to think that they are experiencing the same symptoms as veterans fighting for out country. I usually respond to them and say you are also living in a war zone and you fight to survive every single day. This warzone could be a horrible experience in childhood, it could be abusive partner that you are currently living with, or it could be the trauma of a natural disaster. All of those experiences are valid, and everyone processes trauma differently.