Tampa’s Best Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Treatment Center

Learn More About Treatment for PTSD in North Tampa

After experiencing or observing a traumatic event or life-threatening situation, or learning about the details of a loved one’s experiences, many individuals experience symptoms such as intrusive thoughts, nightmares, and insomnia, or they may feel overly jumpy or become easily startled. These reactions are not uncommon.

If you are experiencing some of these symptoms to the extent they have begun to interfere with your life, you may have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). At North Tampa Behavioral Health Hospital, we are aware that you may feel like there’s no hope of anything ever getting better or that you have lost all control over your life, and we are here to help.

How to Convince a Loved One to Seek Treatment for PTSD

The first thing you can do when considering seeking care for a loved one at a PTSD treatment center is to learn about your loved one’s disorder so you can better understand what you can do to help them access treatment. You also need to take care of yourself, even though you didn’t experience the event itself, as the changes you are living with are stressful.

If your loved one experiences any of the symptoms listed or others, including flashbacks, withdrawal from friends or family, angry outbursts without provocation, depression, or the onset of substance abuse that doesn’t seem to be going away or improving after six months, you should try to help your loved one seek treatment at a psychiatric hospital.

First, show you understand at least some of what they have gone through by letting them know what you read and learned about their difficulties. While expressing that you care about them and are concerned for their well-being, try to calmly explain the effects their behavior and problems are having on the entire family. Emphasize that you want them to get help so they don’t have to continue suffering the way they have been and that you want the entire family to become closer. If nothing you say convinces them to seek care, call our knowledgeable staff at North Tampa Behavioral Health Hospital. We can provide suggestions to address the situation in different ways and support you as you continue to work towards helping your loved one enter treatment.

Why Consider Inpatient Treatment at North Tampa Behavioral Health

As the best PTSD treatment center in Tampa, we always seek to provide treatment for individuals at the least restrictive level of care, while ensuring the greatest degree of safety and efficacy. Feeling that you are in a safe environment is critical for you to be able to begin acknowledging and exploring painful topics and addressing any additional issues that may be uncovered for the first time.

Often those suffering from PTSD are best helped by inpatient treatment due to the severity of their symptoms, the overwhelming nature of their distress, and the degree to which their disorder is impairing their ability to function in day to day life. Inpatient treatment has been demonstrated to be the most effective treatment for PTSD. An inpatient treatment center will allow you get away from the responsibilities and expectations of your daily life so you can focus exclusively on healing.

From the security of a psychiatric hospital, you will have the chance to more fully identify and start to address the many-faceted nature of your difficulties. In addition, many inpatient programs provide the ability to address the various areas of your problem from an individual, family, and community level. You will be provided with additional coping strategies to help you process your disturbing and frightening memories of the event under the guidance of a trained professional. Inpatient treatment also provides you with the ability to get to know others suffering from PTSD who understand what you are going through first hand and who can provide additional support and advice to help you understand you are not alone.

Our Rehab Program’s Philosophy and Benefits

While you are likely focused on your suffering and difficulties getting through the day effectively, we approach your difficulties from a strength based perspective. At North Tampa Behavioral Health Hospital, we know that like everyone who comes to our PTSD treatment center for help, you have countless strengths and resources within you even if you can’t currently recognize them. We will help you uncover these inner strengths and show you how they can be utilized to bolster your ability to heal your problems and return to a normal life, without the burden of your symptoms.

While we are aware it is impossible to know what your experiences were like first hand, our staff will support you with empathy and compassionate care, listening to all you share with us in order to better understand what you are going through. We are also aware that every person who suffers from PTSD is different, and aspects of a situation perceived as traumatic to some may not be perceived in the same way by others. Therefore, we are aware of the importance of treating everyone who seeks care at our treatment center as an individual, without making assumptions as to which parts of their experience are causing their troubles. At North Tampa, our goal is to help you establish your own path back to a life filled with satisfaction, joy, and hope.

The staff at our PTSD treatment center never take credit for your healing – we know that your recovery is based on all the work you engage in while with us and the insights you arrive at as you allow yourself to open up to those around you. We respect each individual who comes to us for help, understanding the courage it took for you to take this step toward caring for yourself and your loved ones.

Types of Therapy We Use to Treat Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

At North Tampa, we use a variety of treatment modalities to help you begin to recover from PTSD. While you may only be with us for a limited period of time, we can help you gain additional coping skills and resources for dealing with your problems long term.

After a complete evaluation your treatment team will work with you to determine the most effective course of action for your individual needs. This may include the use of medications to help control severe anxiety or other symptoms inhibiting your ability to engage in the therapeutic process.

We also utilize group therapy as a method of education and treatment. We have psycho-educational groups our our PTSD treatment center that provide information about your disorder and related topics, as well as process groups where you can discuss problems or issues with others who have gone through similar experiences. Your treatment team at our psychiatric hospital will help you decide which groups will be most beneficial for meeting your individual needs.

Family involvement is an important component of treatment as their support is vital to your recovery. It is likely your treatment will include a family consultation utilized to determine the scope of family problems and provide support. We also provide referrals to community resources in Tampa and elsewhere so your family members can continue to work on addressing their own issues and better understand your condition and know what to expect when you return home.

Our therapists often utilize techniques such as cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) which helps you identify maladaptive beliefs, thoughts, and assumptions and then replace them with more rational, accurate thoughts. This in turn will help alter negative emotions and behaviors.

Continuing Care – What Comes Next?

Prior to discharge, you and your treatment team will decide upon what next step will best meet your needs. If you still feel the need for a high degree of structure, a Partial Hospitalization Program or Intensive Outpatient Program may be recommended. Those further along in their recovery may feel that they are ready for a traditional outpatient setting.

North Tampa Behavioral Health offers several levels of treatment including inpatient and outpatient psychiatric and co-occurring treatment. Our programs include a Partial Hospital Program (PHP) and an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) open to adults and seniors, age 18 and up.