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Post-traumatic stress disorder, which has been known in older decades as battle fatigue or shell shock, is a condition that affects people who have experienced, or witnessed, traumatic events. While it is natural for people who have experienced trauma to need time to find their equilibrium again, people who develop PTSD can never seem to find their balance. While there are a variety of treatments available, research has begun asking whether marijuana is a viable option that's been overlooked until now.

If you watch the news, then you probably know that mental health issues are becoming more prevalent with each passing year. Anxiety and depression are just a few of the mental health issues coming to the forefront as more people break thru the stigmas of talking about mental health. Anxiety counseling is a great way to help reduce anxiety.

The people of today's society can be very unsympathetic and numb to all feelings. We live in a world where we are expected to be happy and perfect. There is no room for weakness, no room for pain. That is why the stigma of depression still exist. Lack of knowledge related to depression can cause it's own set of problems.

Many people suffer from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and are not even aware of it. Any bad experience can cause negative emotions or unwanted remembrances. PTSD symptoms often persist for a long time if treatment is not received. There are many different approaches to assisting those with PTSD from Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy to medications.

Parents who lose a child suffer from severe pain, anxiety, and intense guilt about their child's death. In most cases, parents aren't directly responsible for their child's death. However, their guilt can drive a wedge between them that can destroy a relationship. Couples counseling can help grieving parents learn how to stay together.

Doing something creative can also help combat depression. You can write a poem or short story that expresses how you feel. Paint something or sculpt something. Take photos of things that move you. Make a short film. Anything creative, from cooking a good meal to starting a blog can help you to express your feelings and feel lighter. Plus making something always gives you a feeling of achievement as well.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a type of mental health therapy that helps individuals intentionally use their thoughts to guide their feelings and behaviors. This approach focuses on helping individuals first become aware of unproductive thoughts, and then change those thoughts to ones that positively influence their behaviors and emotions.

What narrative therapy aims to do is help the person with PTSD take ownership of what happened to them. With a trusted therapist as their guide, they learn to make a space for their story, how to piece together the details so that they aren't suddenly hit with these strong emotions when they're triggered. Over a series of sessions they take the bare bones of what occurred and add in emotions and reactions and what it caused.

By seeing a therapist, a person who suffers from PTSD-like symptoms can learn new coping strategies, begin to comprehend what has happened, and compartmentalize the pieces of the event and how they can fit into the life they are already leading. Mental health counselors are trained to use therapeutic counseling techniques designed to fit a person's specific needs.

Welcome back to the second half of our two-part series on how counseling can help you through the hardest time in your life. Last time, we covered how difficult it can be to deal with laving home or when your loved ones make painful decisions that you'd like to change. This time, we're wrapping up with the stresses of a new job and how it can help to talk to someone you can trust.