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PTSD:
Women With Substance/Alcohol Issues
It
has four letters and affects over 20 million Americans everyday: PTSD
(Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Over half of these individuals are
women. Tragically, it is the American woman who is most often vulnerable
to PTSD. Initial attempts to study PTSD and its relation to substance
abuse focused mainly on male combat veterans.
As
gender-related research in this arena has increased, the findings demonstrate
important differences between men and women with PTSD and comorbid substance
use disorders. The estimated lifetime prevalence of PTSD among adult
Americans is 7.8 percent, with women, it is 10.4 percent, twice as likely
as men (5 percent) to have PTSD at some point in their lives (PTSD Research
Quarterly, 1966). Women are the most vulnerable to PTSD because of rape,
domestic violence, childhood incest, and inherent cultural helplessness.
High
rates of re-victimization and multiple traumas have been noted among
female substance abusers (AM J Addict 1995). One out of 10 women will
develop PTSD at some point in their lives. Mass numbers of women have
PTSD and impacted by the enormous magnitude and tragic consequences
to their workday, goals, parenting, emergency visits, health care usage,
institutionalizations, addicts, poverty level, homeless, imprisonment,
and desire to live.
Many
women with PTSD attempt to rid themselves of their painful re-experiences,
loneliness, depression, or panic attacks by abusing legal or illegal
substances as a form of self medication. These finding highlight the
need to focus on PTSD in women with substance abuse issues. Until recently,
very little training attention has been about PTSD. Our nation is now
focusing on this debilitating mental condition in educational formats.
To
implement human service work with women who have PTSD and substance
abuse issues, this course will provide participants with methods and
materials for making learning more efficient, effective and more productive.
ting dynamics leading to risk factors for their children's developmental
stages.
This
course is designed to give students the skills to work "proactively"
with pregnant battered women and to understand inherent PTSD.
| Course
Objectives: |
| 1. |
To
assure that professional human service providers acquire core knowledge
pertaining to PTSD in women. |
| 2. |
To
teach participants an understanding and be able to define and recognized
PTSD. |
| 3. |
To
share drug/ alcohol usage patterns of women who have PTSD. |
| 4. |
To
share helpful communication strategies for utilization with women
who emit the symptoms of PTSD. |
| 5. |
To
share treatment strategies & self care options. |
| 6.
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To
give students valuable resources on a community and national level
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| Educational
Format: |
- This
well organized workshop fills the information gap that currently
exists about substance abuse and women with PTSD. This workshop
has been researched to be an informative and an interesting
educational tool for targeted participants. It draws upon the
latest research in the field of traumatology and builds on a
"general" framework of psychology. This framework can be augmented
for professional audience concentrations of social workers,
chaplains, ministers and counselors.
-
Participants will acquire "proactive" knowledge through lecture,
power point presentation, helpful videos, and overhead transparencies.
These learning components will provide an effective and interesting
format. Additionally, focus will be placed on active and "interactive"
learning approaches that can be applied through sessions that
will be structured with large group activities and small group
breakouts. This process will enable participants to individualize
and receive information within the learning session.
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Within the training, participants receive beneficial, "user-friendly"
handouts and workbooks. Written information is designed for
future reference and can be incorporated in office memos, bulletin
boards, and newsletters. It can also be utilized for future
worksite, workshop, or conference trainings.
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| Topic
1 |
Overview
of PTSD- Offers a personalization and general account of research
in field of traumatology. This topic offers a general account of
PTSD pertaining to women. Additionally, it will examine the psychosocial,
neurophysiological research on damage from trauma. |
| Topic
2 |
Understanding
and Recognition of PTSD in Women-Offers a definition of PTSD, detailed
listing of symptomology, stages of PTSD/ Integration, and various
types of anxiety/ PTSD: normal stress response, acute stress, Uncomplicated
PTSD, Comorbid PTSD, and Complex PTSD. Offers heightened awareness
pertaining to diagnosis and problematic/exacerbated treatment. |
| Topic
3 |
Drug
and Alcohol Concerns in women- Examines how private drug/alcohol
usage is often implemented because of PTSD for utilization of coping
strategies to remedy agitation. Focus on with Comorbid & Complex
PTSD. |
| Topic
4 |
Effective
Communication Tactics-Offers unique and insightful communication
strategies pertaining to women with PTSD. This topic helps participants
to understand productive communication patterns that facilitate
effective interaction. |
| Topic
5 |
Treatment
Strategies - Offers an examination of current treatment strategies
and various coping tactics to relay to women. Offers a general account
of trauma therapies with inclusion of researched-based results pertaining
to Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). |
| Topic
6 |
Helpful
Resources/ Future Issues & Policies- Offers an overview of a listing
of resources toward implementation of policy for women. |
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