Had to sign a PTSD Contract today at my VA Therapist LCSW S-4 Anyone familiar with it?

[Buck52]

I have had Chronic Combat PTSD for years, Just won my claim for it about 3 1/2 years ago.I been going to my VA Therapist ever since twice a week for a year and now its bi weekly the last 2 years. and staying at the bi-weekly  beings I live about 62 miles from the VAMC.

Went to my regular sessions today.

Ok today  my VA Therapist she ask me about the CPT (Cognitive Processing Therapy) And she ask me if I wanted to do this therapy? I ask what is it? & I said yes if  it will help me with the Anxiety/Depression  and Cope Skills and help me feel better for me and not put my family through a lot of un- necessary crap from me.

she said she could not promise me that it would but statistic shows it will help  it just depends how I react to this type therapy 

She ask me to sign a ''Contract''

Anyway I don't understand why I had to sign a'' CONTRACT''

Perhaps a commitment to come to the sessions?

I went ahead and signed it  to see how this will work out? 

she says I can opt out of it any time or if I feel its not helping me I can opt out of it and we would do a different type therapy 

she gave me some hand outs to read over  about PTSD Symptoms and stuck points.

Recovery or  Nonrecovery  from PTSD Symptoms Fowling   Traumatic Events

In Normal recovery Intrusions and emotions decrease over time and no longer trigger each other

Anyone ever heard the word (Autobiographical)

The CPT is a cognitive processing  therapy is a cognitive -behavioral  treatment for PTSD And Related Problems

Anyway I'm going to try it for 14 weeks and longer if it helps  she said If I don't feel its helping me  we can change to another form of PTSD Therapy at any time.

Anyone else trying this and did you sign a Contract?

Now my ''HomeWork'' is to write out a one page statment on why you think your most distressing traumatic event occurred, you are not being ask to write out specific details about the cause of this event......I thought Huh??

Also consider the effects this traumatic  event has had on your beliefs  about yourself, others,and the world in the following areas: safety,trust,power/control esteem, and Intimacy..

Bring this statment with you to the next session. Also please read over the two handouts I have given you on PTSD Symptoms and Stuck Points  (HANDOUTS 5.1and 5.2 so that you understand the Ideas we are talking about.

 

Anyone doing this type therapy?

Edited July 12, 2018 by Buck52

[Buck52]

I did make a mistake and tell her the breathing treatments seem to work better than nothing,  I know when having a anxiety panic attact I do these breathing treatments  and they help but I did note that it don't always help...like the time on the Airplane.  eh!

we try to be open and honest with these VA therapist and License Clinical  Social Workers and they take a mile of exaggeration. 

she write in her notes veteran showing a 50%improving over his anxiety from the breathing treatments he has learn from this provider.  eh!

[Buck52]

1 hour ago, L said:

Hey @Buck52 good questions - I tried to message you my email ..........................but can't so if there is a way let me know - I would be honored to help you through the process. 

I have my statement here - it is simple and straightforward - Why you think...... I wrote that the  Sailor/"Rapist" thought I was an easy target when he knock on my barracks door and saw I was alone. et al 

1. Break down each one of the things she wants you to write about - say...... Trust as a paragraph. 

2. Then look up the definition of the word and write how you think it relates to your trauma situation- even one or two words. 

3. This is one page, so it does not have to be long- take each of the above and piece it together as a full page. 

I think @broncovet @Berta will chime in about the rating situation -

I do not believe,  a decrease can be accomplished with one successful therapy program.

Must be sustained improvement - even though I completed this and when on to get the 100% - my "emotional" rollercoaster with my panic attacks tells me it is not all over and not a cure. But did it help ?  Yes 

 

Roger hat L

I  will Certainly take your advice on this how to prepare my statement...I had no clue how to write it  Thanks

[vetquest]

Buck, hang in there. I know you do not want to revisit the past but we sometimes need to look at the ugliness to get better.  I am concerned that she wrote you are showing a 50% improvement though.  I see civilian doctors because I had a VA psychiatrist once say I had been cured.  No, I live with this for the rest of my life and my triggers are almost daily.  I had to sign a suicide contract once.

[Michigander]

@Buck52  hi Buck,

i did this therapy for 8-10 weeks and then quit all together.  It must help some, but for me it only frustrates me and caused me more anxiey.  So many questions didn’t apply to my situation or I just could never get how to answer them questioning my therapist over and again if I was doing it correctly.  I would talk out he worksheets with my therapist and at the end when you are suppose to re-rate your feelings my feelings..fears etc didn’t really change and she kept saying back “well remember feelings arnt facts!”  This was her end all answer to everything and I’m sorry but my feelings and panic attacks and irrational thoughts etc are “real” so my feelings are facts!  Anyways I know there is methodology to the process but I ended up getting in a car accident and was pretty messed up and that alone prevented me from completing the cpt however I told them it wasn’t helping me anyways.  Do you know who and how a person gets flagged to reduce their SC status.  Is it something the therapist checks off that starts the re-evaluation process? I’m didn’t read why this happened to you or what caused it?

im sorry you are going through this after it took you so long to even get approved.  Guess I need to not be surprised when it happens to me because I made a few comments I wanted to get out of the house more often.  It’s really a pipe dream but I shouldn’t have verbalized it to my therapist.  

[Guest L]

8 hours ago, Tbird said:

@Buck52I have been doing the Peer support group for 4 years -

My groups - I have 2 are  amazing - I am 60 ( USN 1975-1997) and one of the oldest members - when I started - there were no other Women now there is 5. There is such a camaraderie and mutual respect in these groups - I hope you will find it as uplifting as I do. I would compare it to a  alcoholic support groups situation - The group has an assigned topic always with a therapeutic..... message. I keep my handouts - they do help.  60 minutes in duration.  

[Buck52]

2 hours ago, Michigander said:

@Buck52  hi Buck,

i did this therapy for 8-10 weeks and then quit all together.  It must help some, but for me it only frustrates me and caused me more anxiey.  So many questions didn’t apply to my situation or I just could never get how to answer them questioning my therapist over and again if I was doing it correctly.  I would talk out he worksheets with my therapist and at the end when you are suppose to re-rate your feelings my feelings..fears etc didn’t really change and she kept saying back “well remember feelings arnt facts!”  This was her end all answer to everything and I’m sorry but my feelings and panic attacks and irrational thoughts etc are “real” so my feelings are facts!  Anyways I know there is methodology to the process but I ended up getting in a car accident and was pretty messed up and that alone prevented me from completing the cpt however I told them it wasn’t helping me anyways.  Do you know who and how a person gets flagged to reduce their SC status.  Is it something the therapist checks off that starts the re-evaluation process? I’m didn’t read why this happened to you or what caused it?

im sorry you are going through this after it took you so long to even get approved.  Guess I need to not be surprised when it happens to me because I made a few comments I wanted to get out of the house more often.  It’s really a pipe dream but I shouldn’t have verbalized it to my therapist.  

Hello Michigander  How have you been doing? hope you and your daughter are both doing good.

 I am not sure what your PTSD Rating is? 70% maybe?

as for as them coming after you for a reduction  it is usually 2 or 3 years  some times long...how they do this is random selection  and  creates a can of worms for the veteran or more stress

PTSD 70% Award if less than 5 years old, the VMC MH Treatment Notes completed after every session, could become problematic for a C-File Diary Dated PTSD Review.

Don't worry to much about it until you actually get the letter of reduced benefits from showing improvement,  if this happens usually you will need evidence you have not shown improvement  either from VA MH or from a private Dr. IMO (INDENPENDENT MEDICAL OPINION)  TO KEEP WHAT YOU GOT & some times this may result in an increase and not a decrease in benefits.