Sorry for the double post. I'm a little surprised about the Vet Centers, but I've heard that they are more poorly staffed and overburdened than they used to be.

My experiences regarding the treatment of PTSD at the VA relate to directly what I saw in my friends and my ex. Perhaps it's a good thing that there wasn't a group for PTSD at the VA in San Antonio, as I'm not impressed with the way the VA runs things. The PTSD group that my buddy went to only exacerbated symptoms.

The problem is they only had a short term group therapy (something like 10 sessions), and didn't really have good active individual therapy to ensure the Vets didn't fall to pieces. When you let stuff like that out, your emotions must be stabilized by the time you leave the session or bad things happen. People relapse and others become worse and more avoidant when they have poorly trained "professionals" in the therapist/psychiatrist role.

Additionally, the VA tended to use residents and other students of psychiatry as the therapist/psychologist/psychiatrist, with little to no apparent oversight. I guess that's what I mean by poorly trained--it was more like you were used for training purposes, but got very little in return. Actually, it often meant that you got nothing in return for it. Sigh...I hate to be a downer but that's what I saw from close observation of the VA in my area.

I really suggest getting a private therapist (a psychologist with experience in treating PTSD). It's a far better gamble than taking your chances with the VA, where resources are limited for the number of Vets seeking services. You'll also be guaranteed to get a professional who is fully licensed and board certified, instead of someone in training like at the VA. If you don't have insurance, many places offer a sliding scale fee.

I'd just go down the phone book for your area, and call up the therapist/psychologist entries in sequence. The main thing is to find out if they take your insurance and/or sliding fee offered, AND IMPORTANTLY if they have experience in treating PTSD. In theory, all therapists will have training in that area, but some might have more experience at it than others. Stay away from psychiatrists (the MD's), as they just offer drugs and very little are trained in current therapy modalities. Also stay away from academic hospitals and treatment centers, as you'll run into a similar thing as you would at the VA. If it turns out that you don't like the T and/or you aren't a good match, you can always find another T before you get too invested.

Let us know eh?
--SAM--
(4ID--IVY)